


Spring Day

by mistyhollowdrummer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Also a Korean Drama, Based from a Japanese Series, F/M, Over usage of fluff, Slow Burn, The High school AU you secretly wanted but was afraid to ask for, lots of fluff, maybe some angst?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2018-12-15 02:19:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 123,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11796393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistyhollowdrummer/pseuds/mistyhollowdrummer
Summary: A new year at school meant new and wonderful opportunities. New people, new teachers, new friends, and a new roommate who Lance has to protect from everyone finding out she was actually a girl in an all-boys school.Yeah, a wonderful year indeed.





	1. Welcome to Hell... Or High School

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends! Am I attempting two fanfics at once? Yes. Yes I am. Is it all going to go smoothly? No. No it won't.  
> Actually, this fanfic is a total experiment. I'm not sure if I'll continue it, but if people would like to see it continued, then sure. This chapter and the second chapter were actually written at the beginning of this year, but I just didn't feel the need to upload it. All of the details to the main plot of the story are still fuzzy and need to be hammered out, but hey, road bumps along the way are fine.  
> Please let me know what you think of this story. This is an overused plot, I know, but I couldn't resist it. I write so much angst and smut, I need a daily dose of fluff in my life. You can never have too much fluff. Well, you can, but I don't think death by fluff is a terrible way to go.  
> -Misty

The first day of school was supposed to be nerve wrecking. It was supposed to be anxiety rising. It was normal to feel butterflies in your stomach and to feel like you couldn't step two feet onto school grounds without profusely sweating while simultaneously sizing everyone up, but for whatever reason, Lance was feeling pretty good right now. 

Last year had been like that. His first year at an all-boys school, living in a dormitory instead of commuting to school. Having a roommate and public bathrooms. Not having home cooked meals from his home, or hearing the screams of his younger siblings as they themselves got ready for school earlier than he did (That one he was surprised to find he missed the most). That was all horrifying for his first year, but he found that he acclimated into the environment very well.

Once the homesickness wore off. After multiple calls to his mom and a pep talk or two from his father.

So it didn't surprise him that he felt a bit giddy. Sure, he had a new roommate this year. Sure, Hunk wasn't even in the same building this year, but that didn't mean anything except that there were new possibilities. New friendships to be made, a new roommate to schmooze and trade pick-up lines with (even though he and Hunk hadn't really done that), and a new year to try and pick his grades up before his mother brought his ass right back to California by his ear. 

She would do it too. He didn't doubt that for a second, which was why he couldn't mess around this year. He had to get a grip on himself and focus on his work this time.

That wouldn't stop him from hitting on all the pretty ladies outside of the school, but he had to settle down. 

Crossing the threshold to the school brought more butterflies, but good ones. He felt giddy, ready for the new year. New year and new opportunities. Ready for good changes to happen. 

"Alright..." He mumbled to himself before making his way to his building. A big, entirely brick building. He remembered someone last year saying that this was the oldest building on campus next to the school itself, but had been entirely upgraded over the summer. So while the outside looked like something straight out of a horror movie where the main character always dies in the end, apparently the rooms were much better than they had been in previous years. 

There was more giddiness. He wasn't sure what he was expecting of his new room, or the new dorm, or of his new roommate even. All he knew was he had plans this year; good plans, and they involved everything going according to plan. 

First goal: Get to the room. 

Lance had to find the board that gave out the room numbers. It wasn't hard with an entire group of young men gathering around one board in the main hall. An entire schools worth almost who didn't know how to line up, instead pushing and shoving to get a better view of the board. He couldn't get very close, but close enough, and his eyesight wasn't the best, but good enough for him to see his name on the board. 

"McClain... Third floor, room 38." He muttered to himself, a hum of approval following shortly after. Third floor wasn't too bad. Stairs wouldn't be too clogged up in the mornings. Rumor has it some rooms in this dormitory had their own bathroom too, so it was wishful thinking to hope that maybe he had his own this year. "And my roommate is..." He stopped, squinting to see better. 

He couldn't help but speak a little louder, probably because he couldn't hear himself talk over everyone else. 

"Who the heck is _Pidge Gunderson_?" He asked out loud, more as a question to himself and not others. He wasn't expecting an actual response. 

"I'm right here," Came a response, a higher pitched voice from somewhere in the crowd. 

He turned around at the sound of it, noticing a smaller teenager not too far off. In comparison, he was actually quite small, definitely a foot shorter than he was, and practically clawing to get his way further into the crowd with his bag barely on his shoulders, probably trying to see the board. He wasn't going to have a chance seeing it from where he stood, not with his height, and definitely not with the round spectacles on his face. Definitely not the best choice for glasses, but they seemed to match this sort of vibe he gave off, like he was kind of nerdy. 

No. Definitely nerdy. That was all Lance could think about, because nothing else on him spoke cool. He had short, brown hair that was cut oddly, spiking in all sorts of directions. His eyes behind the nerdy glasses were big and brassy, kind of buggy almost. His face was very round, his cheeks soft and not at all defined.

He was supposed to be his age? He looked like he was fourteen. 

"Ah, so you're my new roommate then." Lance said, tugging the strap of his backpack closer to keep it from getting tugged on by others. 

"Yeah, must be-!" Said teen, Pidge as his name was (What a weird name), suddenly got knocked down. He tumbled to the floor when someone had run into his from behind, a very unapologetic "sorry" being thrown over their shoulder as they tried to get to the board. A few other guys didn't seem to even notice him on the floor, so Lance was quick to push through the crowd and get to his aid. 

"You okay?" He asked, reaching out to pull at his arm. 

The poor kid was as skinny as a fourteen year old too. 

"I-I think so," He stuttered, trying to adjust his glasses, but it was impossible with the crowd around them. 

"Here, stand up." Lance pulled on his arm again, quickly yanking him to his feet, whether he was ready or not. Without letting go, he turned in the opposite direction of the board and pulled him through the crowd. "Make way! Coming through!" He yelled out, making his presence known so people would move. 

"Is that really necessary?" Pidge asked from behind him, but he noticed the swarm of men dividing to let them through. He didn't question him about it again. 

Once finally out of the major swarm, where only a few people were sparse did they stop to lean against a nearby wall. Pidge fell over, resting his hands on his knees and groaning. Lance simply leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest with a small smirk. 

"Yeah. That was me last year too." He jokingly said. 

"Holy crow..." Pidge mumbled. "Is it always like this?"

"Pretty much, yeah." To that response, the smaller teen looked up at him in distress and let out what could have been a small squeak or whine depending on how he heard it. "Way worse during morning rush too. Fun tip for you: Wake up an hour and a half early if you want the hot breakfast to still be there."

"Uh, right..." Pidge mumbled. "Thanks... Uhm...?" He looked at him expectantly as he straightened out. 

"McClain. Lance McClain." Lance introduced himself and held out his hand. Pidge stared at him for a moment, almost apprehensive in a manner before reaching out to shake his hand. His hand was so small compared to his own; small and soft, and his nails were well manicured. 

He seemed really odd already, but who was he to judge? He thought Hunk was weird when they first met, but now the two were thicker than thieves as the saying went. This could be the start of something new and exciting for the both of them. 

"From today forward, you're my new roommate." Lance continued, giving his hand a firm squeeze before letting go. He didn't miss the way the teen winced, like he'd somehow hurt him, or how he was quick to retract his hand. 

"Ah, okay..." Pidge said this like he hadn't put two and two together yet. "What's our room then?"

"Third floor. Room 38. Come on. I'll show you." Lance offered and waved his hand, his other slinging his bag back over his shoulder. 

"Thanks," Pidge mumbled from behind, picking up his own backpack and throwing it on his back. 

"This your first year here?" Lance asked from over his shoulder. He noticed the teen taking in a wider step, trying to keep up with his fast pace as they made it to the stairwell. "I don't think I've seen you here before."

"Yeah, my first year," Pidge told him as they began their ascent to their new room. 

"Where did you go to school before this?" He couldn't help his curiosity, but he did slow down to allow Pidge the chance to catch up. He had long legs anyway. 

"Actually, this is my first year in public school." Pidge said, not meeting his eyes. "I've been homeschooled all my life."

"Really...?" Lance questioned, but not because he didn't believe him. "Man, you're lucky. I'd give anything not to have to wake up so early in the morning."

"It's not all that great." Pidge muttered. "I don't really know how anything goes, so... I'm kind of at a loss here."

"Hey, no worries." Lance assured as they got to the third floor. Stepping out of the stairwell lead them only a few doors away from their own room. "It's quick to pick up. If you need any help, I can show you around and what not. Give you some tips on how to survive hell- I mean high school." He smirked.

"No, that's okay." Pidge said. "I can handle it myself, I'm sure. Just have to get myself situated." He assured him. 

"Are you sure?" To that, the brunette frowned. He didn't think that'd be his response at all, especially with a kind of standoffish attitude behind it. The teen didn’t even seem to sense the conversation taking a more terse direction, simply keeping his eyes forward like Lance wasn’t even standing there.

"Yeah, I'm good." Pidge said once more. "Thanks though. I appreciate the offer."

"Well, it still stands. Don’t be afraid to reach out." Just because this Pidge guy was coming across like a hermit didn’t mean that Lance wasn’t going to extend the kindness. He was just that kind of guy.

They made it to their room, a key already in the doorknob to allow them in. Lance did the honors by turning it and unlocking the door, opening it up to discover their room. 

It wasn't the fanciest room on the campus, but he'd be damned if he said it wasn't fancier than what he and Hunk had last year. Bigger too, but that was because they had a bunk bed instead of two adjacent beds, which left more room for two desks, and a bookshelf. A dresser was built into the base of the bed, as well as a small, singular just at the end of the ladder to the top bunk. This gave them more space in the room to walk around, and hopefully keep everything organized. 

Last year, he and Hunk had a small room, smaller than this, with two beds crammed against the wall on either side of the room, two dressers, and two desks. They hardly had any room to walk around, and god forbid anything was left on the floor. Late at night, if one of them had to get up to go to the bathroom, they'd inevitably step on whatever it was. 

Lance still winced when he remembered the time he stepped on a drill Hunk had left out from a project of his. 

Was that a door? Lance felt a sudden upheaval of hope as he went over to it quickly and opened it. Looking inside, his hope was only confirmed when he saw a small shower stall and a toilet, along with a sink built into the wall. 

"Yes! We've got our own bathroom!" He cheered, fisting the air in success. 

"Do the rooms usually not come with them?" Pidge asked, slowly stepping up behind him to take a look at the room. 

"No. That's the thing about dormitories, is that they have public bathrooms and showers, not private ones. I heard this building had them built in over the summer, but I've never been here to this dormitory before. We got so damn lucky," He told the smaller teen. 

It wasn't that he hated public bathrooms. Yeah, they were gross and disgusting, but that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was trying to do his daily skincare routine, and trying to ignore the pointed fingers and laughs. This way he'd have peace, so long as Pidge wasn't one to poke fun at him either. 

"Huh, I didn't know that..." Pidge mumbled, looking back into the room. "What bed did you want?" He asked, motioning to the bunk bed. 

"Huh...? Oh, I'm more of a top bunk kind of guy, but if you want it, that's cool."

"Nah, you can have it. I'm not a fan of heights." Pidge explained, making his way to his now claimed bottom bunk and dropping his bag on it. 

"Cool," Lance mused.

This was good. Great really. Pidge may have been a little distant, but they were off to a good start. They had their own bathroom, and they didn't even argue about which bed they were going to get. Usually the argument about the bed was what destroyed relationships at the beginning of the year, so he was glad that this was already taken care of. 

Now they just had to find some common grounds. Some likeness that could get a conversation going. Pidge was probably all worried and freaked out about his first day of school, in public school no less, so he was going to need someone to lead the way for him and protect him from all the dangers that was this.

Hell… Or high school. 

"So you got any plans for tonight?" Lance asked him, practically waltzing his way towards the brassy eyed teen. 

"No, just... Unpacking I guess. Getting situated." Pidge said, pulling a small bag from inside his backpack. 

Lance didn't miss the way he stalled for a moment, as if he'd been caught with something bad and tried to hide it. He wouldn't blame him; it was a kind of girly bag, covered in a mixture of blue colored designs, so maybe he thought Lance would laugh at him? He wouldn't of course. Once again, he cringed at the memories of pointed fingers and laughs. 

"Cool, then come out with me and Hunk tonight." He offered, tossing his bag onto his bed before leaning against the railing. "I met Hunk last year; he was my roommate, so I know he's a cool dude. We can go out to this pizzeria in town that had some of the best garlic knots and calzones. Then we can go to the movies and hit on some girls. What do you say?"

Pidge paused in his unpacking, momentarily plucking a loose string on his shirt, as if that was a small distraction for him as he thought about it. 

"... No, I'm okay. Thanks for the offer though." He said, going back to unpacking his stuff. 

"You sure? I'll even pay for your food," Lance offered, his tone almost teasing in a way. 

"I said I'm fine." Pidge suddenly snapped at him. 

Lance was taken aback for a moment, completely startled by his tone of voice, the way he seethed like he was bothering him. Like the offer, which should have been taken kindly, was taken as an insult, and Pidge didn't seem at all regretful with how harsh he'd come across. He just kept pulling stuff out of his backpack, like his laptop and a whole bunch of cords. He didn't even look his way. 

"Uh... Okay then. Well, if you change your mind, the offer still stands. Just... Let me know." He tried once more to be as nice as possible; after all, this was Pidge's first year in public school. However, the teen simply nodded his head, as if completely ignoring him to set up his stuff on the bed. 

Lance decided that was a good place to end their conversation, quickly distracting himself by climbing up on his bunk and rummaging through his bag. He didn't have much, just his own laptop and a letter from his mom, as well as his phone and headphones, but it was something to do until their stuff got to their room. All he could do really was play around on either device and hope he didn't bother the teen under him, who was uncharacteristically silent as he sat down on his new bed. 

The new school year was meant to make new friends and have a lot of great opportunities, but Lance was beginning to feel a bit of that anxiety building up, and the year hadn't even started yet. 


	2. Isn't This Awkward?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha.... I can explain- *shot*
> 
> No but seriously. Thank you guys for the sweet comments on the last chapter. I'm sorry I didn't get to them. I'm terrible. Y_Y I really appreciated them, and I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get done. Like I had said previously, this is kind of an experiment with details and plot still up in the air, but I'm working on it. I had also said this chapter had already been written, but I ended up deleting it and redoing it to give myself a better foundation. Hopefully you guys enjoy this chapter. ^_^ Again sorry for taking so long, and thank you again for the wonderful comments!  
> -Misty

It was approximately two forty-two in the morning, and Lance was wide awake. He was wide awake, staring up at the ceiling with dread and discomfort at two forty-two in the morning, because why?

He had to pee. Really, really badly.

He knew he shouldn’t have challenged Hunk to a soda chugging contest. Not only did he lose, but too much caffeine was indeed terrible for someone like him, who now felt the intense urge to get up and dance. No one ever said that dancing around like a crazed maniac was a bad thing, it just happened to be a problem when he had a roommate.

This was an absolute no for so many reason. The first being was that he had his first day of school tomorrow, leading up to his new classes that were supposed to be fun and exciting, but he was oddly nervous. The second reason being Pidge, who was asleep in the bunk below him.

The teen groaned, pushing back his covers and quietly climbing down the ladder of his bunk. He felt bad thinking that he could possibly wake up the sleeping teen in the bunk below his, who was probably unconsciously annoyed with him for constantly getting up and turning the lights on in the bathroom, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Tomorrow (Today actually), was going to be hell. His first class was at eight in the morning, and it was aeronautical engineering. He kind of needed to be awake for that.

_Note to self: Never challenge Hunk to a soda chugging contest. Ever. Again. He will always win, and your bladder will always lose._

Lance’s feet touched the cold ground, the wood creaking beneath him. He winced, slowing his decent in fear that he’d wake up the teen. He and Pidge were already on bad enough terms as it was.

He tried. He really did, but Pidge was giving him nothing to work with. The boy was practically a shell, not budging at any offer or even branching off of a topic he’d bring up. He tried so many times to strike a conversation, even going so far as to ask questions about his laptop, which seemed extremely high tech and expensive, but Pidge had shut him down so fast that Lance felt like he had whiplash.

He was just apathetic. Well, no, that wasn’t the right word. Apathetic meant he felt nothing. He clearly got irritated when Lance would push too much. He’d get snippy with him and ask if he had anything better to do than to bother him. By then, Lance would keep quiet and let the conversation die there.

It was difficult. It really was. He was trying to keep optimistic about the new year, but it was just not off to a good start, and this _did not_ help. He didn’t want to blame it on Pidge, because it wasn’t all him, but let’s just say it was a _challenge._

Challenge accepted.

Lance shuffled about in the dark, feeling around the walls until he came to the bathroom. From under the door, he could vaguely see the light on from inside. Hadn’t he turned that off when he went in there earlier? Probably not. He’d been so exhausted that he hadn’t really been paying attention. He only wanted to sleep.

Look how well that went.

Lance didn’t bother to question it more, or even think for a moment that maybe someone else was in there before opening the door, wincing at the bright lights shining in his eyes. He barely took in the room, clean of dirt and dust, but not unoccupied. His mind didn’t really comprehend Pidge standing at the sink at first, washing something that looked like his underwear under the soapy water with some grumbled and clever curses thrown around. It only took a moment to see this, and another moment for the brunette to recognize that he wasn’t alone anymore.

Pidge looked up at him, and for just a split second did Lance realize he wasn’t wearing his glasses before the teen shoved his underwear into the murky water to avoid being seen.

“Lance, get out!” He barked. He looked like he would have thrown something had his hands not been preoccupied.

Lance quickly shut the door, taking a few steps back with his hands up in defense, like that would do him any good, or that Pidge could see the gesture from behind the closed door.

“I’m sorry!” He called out, listening to the frantic shuffle in the bathroom, the water draining from the sink. He waited quietly, as patiently as he could so he wouldn’t have to apologize to a wooden door. Pidge came out a couple of awkward moments later with his things in a plastic bag, still wet like he hadn’t bothered to finish whatever it was he had been doing. Before Lance could say another apology or tell him that he could have the bathroom to finish up, the teen snapped at him.

“You ever heard of knocking?” He berated him, taking his bag to his bed and stuffing it in the crevice of the mattress and the wall.

“I’m sorry! I thought you were still sleeping!” He explained, barely taking in Pidge’s tiny form from where he stood, dressed in baggy shorts that showed his twiggy legs and a heavy, oversized hoodie. There was absolutely no amount of fat on him.

“Didn’t you bother to notice the light was on?” Pidge continued to question him with a moue of annoyance, pulling his covers back and looking at his mattress like he was looking for something. Whatever it was he was looking for, however, he couldn’t seem to find it.

“I thought I left it on!” Lance’s hands tossed about carelessly at his sides before dropping, exaggerating his movements. “It was an accident!”

“Right,” Pidge scoffed, tossing his cover back into place before grabbing for his backpack.

Lance didn’t know what to say. He really didn’t. Nothing he ever did made this kid happy, and it’s not as to say he was trying really hard, but an _“apology accepted”_ would have been nice. An understanding that Lance walking in on him in the bathroom was a complete accident, and that he hadn’t meant to do that to him in the first place. A _mercy_ would have been greatly appreciated.

Well, none of that had worked. Why not try something else?

“I mean… Are you alright?” Lance asked, tossing his hands about dramatically. Pidge had turned on his bed side lamp to look in his backpack for something.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean are you alright?” Lance asked, gesturing to the bag of his wet clothes he hid against the wall. “Did you pee the bed or something?”

“Uh… Yeah…” Pidge looked away, and even in the dim lighting of the room, Lance thought he could see his cheeks flushed.

“You still do that?” Lance asked, not so much to be insulting, but if Pidge were to take it that way, he wasn’t sure he’d be upset with that. A little revenge for the brunette’s behavior wasn’t a bad thing.

“I’m stressed, okay?” He bit out, pulling out that odd, floral looking bag he’d had before.

“Anything in particular?”

“What?”

“Anything in particular you want to talk about?”

Okay, so he wanted revenge, but as his mother always said (and yanked on his ear until he understood), be the bigger man. Pidge may have been a bit of a Grinch to start, but it sounded like he had a lot on his plate. Maybe there was a reason he was like this, and if there was, and Lance could get past the bordered up walls, they could start this year off better. He was still adamant about getting this year to start off the way it was supposed to, and Pidge was the biggest challenge. He was the obstacle standing before him and a perfect year at school.

Perfect friends. Perfect grades. Perfect girlfriend from the all-girls school a few miles away. Perfect position on the school’s soccer team. That was his dream.

And Pidge was the nightmare.

“I’m fine.” He uttered, climbing back into bed with an air of despondency.

“You sure…?” Lance asked. Pidge rolled over silently, turning off his light, but not before Lance could look at the picture on his shelf. A picture of him and another girl.

From far away he couldn’t see much in detail; just a girl with hair about his color, shorter than him (There was someone his age in the world that was shorter? Good lord), with her arm wrapped around his waist. The two of them were smiling in the picture, seemingly really happy.

He had yet to figure out if that was his little sister, or maybe even a girlfriend. Either way, maybe that was the cause of his standoffish behavior.

 He was homesick.

He was sad. Whoever was in that picture he clearly missed; after all, it was the only picture he had with him. The only semblance of home.

Maybe that was what all of this was. Homesickness. It was his first year in public school, a boarding school no less. His only chance to see his family and possible girlfriend was during holidays and spring break, so maybe he just missed home. Maybe he wasn’t very sociable, and this was the only way he knew how to take out his frustrations.

So the goal still remained. Perfect grades. Perfect friends. Perfect girlfriend to be worked on at a later date. Right now, there was another challenge in front of him.

Pidge Gunderson.

“Well… If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but if you need an ear, I’m… Right above you.” Lance pointed to the bunk above him, even though Pidge wasn’t facing him. He didn’t get a response, so either Pidge was ignoring him or he fell asleep really fast. If that was the case, he had a strange pang of jealousy at how fast the kid could fall asleep.

Lance quietly climbed his ladder, getting back into bed and looking up at the ceiling. Sometime during the week while the two of them got settled in, Lance put glow in the dark stars on the ceiling above his bed. The light had only been on briefly, but it was enough to charge them ever so slightly, giving him a glaze of green aura above him.

It was calming. Relaxing even. He had forgotten what really kept him up, but he knew what he fell asleep thinking about.

How was he going to get Pidge to open up to him?

* * *

“Hunk, I’m dead.” Lance announced, plopping down into the seat beside the bigger teen.

“Hey man!” Hunk greeted enthusiastically, patting his back in his usual manner of eagerness. “Good to see you in one class at the very least.”

They actually had two, and unfortunately lunch didn’t count as a third class.

“At the very least.” The brunette repeated, dropping his head down on the table.

“Whoa, what’s up with you?” Hunk asked, tilting his head to the side to mimic his position. “Did you not get your required nine hours of sleep with your eucalyptus mask?”

“Are you patronizing me?”

“Surprisingly, no.” The teen replied with a grin. Lance groaned as he turned his head to look at him.

Classes hadn’t even started yet and he was already preparing to fall asleep in one of them. This one if he wasn’t careful.

“No, I didn’t. I was up most of the night.” He said, lifting his head slightly to keep himself awake.

“Why, dare I ask?”

“Part of that is your fault.” Lance accused, and for a simple need to keep him awake, he laughed slightly at the exasperation that went across Hunk’s face. “And uh… Okay, I need your opinion on something.”

The teen ducked his head slightly, his voice dropping like he was telling him a secret.

“Sure. What’s up?” Hunk did the same, even when not all of the students made it to class yet. It was still pretty empty in their class, and because it was huge made it seem even emptier. There were only a few students, and the teacher, who was currently organizing papers on her desk.

No one was around to hear their conversation.

“Okay, so do you remember my roommate I told you about? Pidge Gunderson?” 

“Yeah, you mentioned him. You said he was really weird and distant with you.” Hunk told him, reaching for his backpack to get out his new textbooks.

“Yeah, that’s him. Well last night I went to the bathroom, again, your fault-” Hunk frowned in feigned distaste. “And he was washing his clothes in the sink. He said he wet the bed.”

“Uh, and he’s seventeen?”

“Yeah, but he said he was stressed.”

“I’ve heard that being really stressed can make you pee yourself in your sleep.” Hunk mentioned, resting his chin against his hand. “My mom said my dad did it through most of college. He was working a job and barely getting through school.”

“That’s what I’m thinking. He’s got this picture of him and this girl. I don’t know if it’s his little sister or what, but that’s the only picture he has. I think he’s homesick,” Lance explained.

“Could be. You said he’s never been in public school before, and to suddenly be thrown into boarding school? That must be hell.”

“Couldn’t imagine. Makes me wonder why he suddenly wanted to go.”

“Maybe he didn’t.” Hunk said.

“What do you mean?” Lance asked curiously.

“I’m saying maybe something happened and he had no choice but to come here. Maybe his parents forced him here.” Hunk explained his train of thought. “If the only picture he has is of him and his little sister, then yeah, he might have been forced here and hates his parents right now. I could imagine he’s under a lot of stress.”

That actually made a lot of sense. Pidge didn’t have any pictures of his family, the only one being of that girl. If his parents forced him into a boarding school his senior year of high school, he was probably pissed. He probably missed home, and was stuck in a school full of rowdy guys, which left him confused and out of the loop.

He didn’t have any friends here, and no connections to his family.

“Your right. This must be hell for him…”

“It’s just a guess, but I’m sure he’s homesick. He probably has no idea what he’s doing either.”

“Yeah…” The teen agreed somberly. Now he kind of felt bad for him.

“So let’s give him time. He’s like a dog backed into a corner; scared and ready to fight. Once he realizes you aren’t there to hurt him, he should open up and be more responsive.”

“You think…?” Lance asked with optimism lacing his tone, his eyes shining with a newfound hope. Leave it to Hunk to bring his spirits back.

“Yeah. Just keep being you man. Keep your arms open for him. I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“Yeah,” Lance agreed with a smile.

Now he really felt like he could do this. Hunk was right, as he usually was. He just needed to be someone for Pidge to go to. If the teen could see that he wasn’t going to hurt him or throw him to the wolves, even protect him from this place called hell (High school really, but he digressed), then maybe Pidge could be the final chapter in his first goal.

The first bell rang. The first bell to signal the beginning of class. The next bell allowed time for students to come in before they were considered tardy, and then wouldn’t be allowed in at all. Lance reached for his backpack and got out his textbooks, feeling like he wouldn’t need them for the first day of class, but it wouldn’t hurt to come prepared. Keep his pencils with him and fresh notepaper ready to write down everything he needed to prepare himself for the new semester, because perfect grades started with organization.

“Alright, look at you all neat and tidy.” Hunk playfully chided with a gentle nudge at his side.

“It’s a new year and a new me, Hunk. Ain’t nothing stopping me this year.”

“Mom threaten to kill you if you brought home C’s again?”

“Chop my limbs off and sell them to black market traders.” Lance corrected, looking forward towards the teacher, watching as she got up from her chair to begin writing on the board.

His eyes wandered to the few students still pouring in, lateness being excused for the first few days as everyone got acquainted with their new schedules. A few of which he recognized from last year, which was exciting. Time to rekindle old friendships and hang back.

Grades first of course. He quite liked his limbs.

A few more people came in, and he couldn’t help but recognize the smallest of them. A certain five foot three brunette with books in hand, his oversized backpack slung over his shoulders, and looking around the room in mild curiosity.

“Huh…” Lance muttered. It was hard to believe that this kid who looked like he was fourteen was in his aeronautical engineering class.

“What’s up?” Hunk asked him.

“Pidge is here,” He told him, pointing his thumb in the teen’s direction. Hunk stared off, and at first didn’t say much. Lance thought that maybe he was trying to pick out who Pidge was from the small group of teen’s, even when it was really obvious.

“Wait, the short one?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding. He does look like he’s fourteen.” The teen uttered, looking him over and taking in his appearance to the fullest extent. “He’s seventeen?”

“He hasn’t actually told me, but he’s a senior and he’s _here_ , so he’s gotta be that.” Lance leaned back, watching as Pidge struggled through a few tables, looking for an empty one.

“Maybe he’s eighteen and he’s older than us.” Hunk said with a laugh.

“He doesn’t even have facial hair though. How is that possible?” Lance asked, bewildered.

“Maybe the kid has a pituitary gland disorder or something.” Hunk explained, shrugging his shoulders. He turned as Pidge started walking further to the back of the classroom. “It would explain why he’s kinda… Feminine.”

“I guess…” He hadn’t actually looked to Pidge and thought that he was feminine, but he definitely wasn’t masculine in the very least.

“Looks like he’s lost.” Hunk mumbled. “Why don’t you invite him over? We’ve got an open seat.” He offered.

Yeah, good idea. Great way to start off this already rocky relationship.

Lance nodded his head, standing up slightly to wave his hand towards the teen.

“Hey, Pidge,” He called out softly, afraid to disturb the class.

The teen startled, looking incredibly withdrawn into his own head and not expecting anyone to call out to him. He looked towards them, seeing Lance waving at him with the bigger teen sitting beside him, smiling back at him. He looked lost still, confused even, but the minute his big, brown eyes met with Lance’s, he turned away, taking up an empty table at the far end of the classroom.

“Whoa… That was kinda…”

“Cold…?” Lance asked. “Yeah, I’m getting used to it.” No he wasn’t. That was complete sarcasm.

“Give him time, Lance. Remember: He’s new with no friends, and he misses home. Keep everything optimistic.”

Easier said than done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be a challenge referring to Pidge with he/him pronouns, but apparently it's not. What the challenge is, is not throwing the word fuck around in this fanfic, because I rated it G, and fuck is not a word used in G rated fanfics. e_e Smart move, Misty. Smart move.


	3. Babes, Pizza, and... He's Gone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooooooooooo sorry this took so long. I got it done a couple of days ago, and I was going to leave it until the weekend, but today has not been the brightest of days for me, so I decided to upload it now. Whether they're good or bad, I genuinely enjoy getting reviews and feedback on my stories, so I bring you the next chapter early!  
> Which should have been out months ago, I'm sorry. Y_Y I'm hoping to get into some of the more comedic stuff of the fanfic now, so if you're still following this story, I will reward you for your awesomeness, because you guys are really super awesome!  
> -Misty

“Okay, here’s the plan.” Lance began, stuffing his books haphazardly into his backpack. The end of day one, and the idea of organization was quickly poured down the drain when excitement bubbled within him. “Babes, pizza, and a movie. What do you say?”

“I’m down,” Hunk agreed, giving him a high five when he was offered it.

“Alright, my man! Know any good movies playing at the theater?”

“I’ll check really quickly.” Hunk said, fishing out his phone and turning it on. “I think there’s this one about the people trying to die or something along those lines. It looks like a real mind thriller.”

“Oh, I think I know what you’re talking about! Shoot, what was it called?” Lance asked, more to himself than Hunk. He leaned back in his chair, thinking hard about what it could have been when he saw Pidge in the back of the room.

They only had three classes together. Aeronautical engineering, Aviation, and gym. Yes gym, because he had flunked out of it two years ago and still needed that one credit. He hadn’t heard the end of that when his sisters and brothers made fun of him for flunking gym, because all anyone had to do was show up, but he may or may not have skipped it a bunch of times.

So that left him with that class instead of a period break like he wanted, but that was his own fault.

It was interesting, if not morbidly peculiar seeing Pidge in a gym class. It was just introductions for the day with syllabus of what they’d be doing through the first semester, but still interesting. Especially with all of these tall, particularly buff men standing around him, and there he was in all of his short stature, having to stand in the front, because he couldn’t see around them.

Lance thought back to Hunk’s words, and really took into consideration that he possibly had a pituitary gland disorder. He hadn’t ever met a teenager his age who looked like he hadn’t hit puberty, with very little masculinity to him. Lance wasn’t one to speak since he couldn’t grow facial hair to save his life and preferred keeping his skin clean and clear, but at least he had definition to him. Seeing Pidge standing there compared to the rest of them was almost comical in a way.

Almost.

He hadn’t said a word in any of those classes though. When introductions were thrown around, he’d given his name quietly, said that he was seventeen, took every point and laugh he received, and stayed quiet. Lance actually felt bad for the kid. Lance’s first day of school may not have been very easy, but it was a walk in the park compared to the day Pidge was having, and he’d only seen him in three of his classes. He hadn’t even seen him during lunch. Did he even get any lunch?

That wouldn’t do at all. Yeah, he was a bit of a wall flower, but he wasn’t going to handle public school if he continued like that. He didn’t need to be out there and outgoing, but Lance couldn’t just let him be pushed around either.

“Hey,” He said, pulling Hunk’s attention away from his phone. “You cool if I invite Pidge with us?”

“Sure, I’m fine with that.” The teen assured him with a smile.

“I think he should get away from the school. Maybe that’ll help him out.” Lance mumbled, standing up from his chair. “You keep looking for movies. I’ll ask if he wants to go.”

Hunk made a sound of affirmation as he looked through listings of recent movie releases. Lance took that as a yes and walked down to where Pidge still sat, searching through his oversized backpack. He probably lost something in there with how big it was.

Lance smoothly leaned against his table, waiting until his movements stopped, brassy eyes lifting to look past the rim of his glasses with trepidation before he spoke.

“So here’s the plan.” Lance began, pointing towards Pidge. “Hunk and I are going to the movies again tonight, and then afterwards we’re going to this small gaming place not far from the movie theater. They serve pizza and all sorts of junk food.”

“… Okay?” Pidge replied, looking completely confused by his words.

“Wanna come with us?” Lance asked, feeling hopeful.

“Oh, no thanks. I’m good.” The brunette’s eyes looked back down to his bag, rummaging through it like whatever he was trying to find was way more important than this conversation.

“Wha- Really?” Lance practically griped. “You aren’t interested in pizza and girls?”

“No, not really,” He replied bluntly. “It’s just not my thing.”

“What about movies?”

“I really don’t have time to waste on cinema.” He explained, making a sound of success as he pulled out his laptop to stuff a book behind it.

“You don’t even want to go to the arcade? It’s got some old timey games and stuff like that.” Lance told him, to which he saw the smallest reaction.

Pidge’s hands stopped for a moment, not in search of something for once, his eyes peering up at his chest. He wasn’t exactly looking at him, but it was the most he’d done in days. Like he was thinking about it. Like he was thinking of agreeing, but more so than the first time Lance had offered him to go out with them.

Why was now so different? It was the same thing as last time. Movies, pizza, games, and-

_Oh._

Got him.

“You uh… Like video games?” He asked, leaning his weight into the table.

“They’re… Cool, I guess…” Pidge mentioned, quickly pushing his pencil case back into his book bag.

_Abort mission. Abort mission._

“That’s cool. My brothers and I used to play video games all throughout the weekends, but my brothers are older, so they like older games, you know?” Lance began, watching a small surge of panic run through Pidge’s expression. He knew he’d been caught. “So I like going to that arcade, because it gives me this nostalgic feeling. They’ve caught some good games there, and recently they got the system for the new Mercury GameFlux two set up-“

“W-Wait,” Pidge suddenly interrupted. “Mercury GameFlux two? The one with the original power fist that gives you infinite lives if you touch the index finger to the pinky?”

Lance’s eyes widened a fraction at his enthusiasm. This was the most emotion other than annoyance and anger he’d ever seen from Pidge this week.

“Yep! That’s the one!” He told him with a grin. For just a split second he thought he could see Pidge smile with excitement before Hunk came over, his phone up and unlocked to show Lance the screen.

“Hey Lance, they have that movie I was talking about, but the earliest showing they have is at six forty-five.”

“Perfect timing. We can get out of there, hang out at the arcade for a bit, and get back before lights out.”

“Are you sure?” Hunk asked skeptically. “That’s really pushing it. I don’t want to get caught by Iverson again.”

“Oh please. Even if we were late by a few minutes, what’s he going to do? It’s only a few minutes past curfew.” Lance assured him with a hard pat to the back. Hunk seemingly shrunk at the idea, visibly worried by the mere thought that Iverson was going to get to them. It was only the first day of school after all.

He didn’t need to hear from his mom that he was grounded for the rest of the year after what Lance had done on the first day of school _last year._

“Hey Pidge,” Lance said, looking to the smaller brunette with a smile. “This is Hunk. He was my roommate last year.” He introduced him, motioning to the bigger man.

“Hey, nice you finally meet you.” Hunk greeted, holding out his hand for the smaller teen to shake.

It was almost comical how small Pidge’s hand was compared to his own, or how his hand basically disappeared when he shook it.

“Nice to meet you too,” Pidge said, looking away for a moment. “Lance told me about you. Or uh, about you being his roommate before.”

“Aw, I blush.” Hunk cheekily replied. Pidge turned his head away with a small smile, and Lance froze. Did he just laugh too?

“So are you coming with us tonight?” He asked, ignoring what he had just seen. That had been a fluke. It had to be.

“Uhm…” The brunette uttered, looking away to his book bag. “I-I could meet you at the arcade.”

“You don’t want to go to the movie?” Hunk asked with a frown. Now he was beginning to see what Lance had meant.

“Come on, Pidge! It’ll be fun!” Lance said, hoping for an approval. “I’ll even pay for your movie ticket. My treat.” He offered.

Pidge sighed, looking completely defeated.

“I guess… It wouldn’t hurt.” He finally agreed. Lance pumped his fist into the air with a victorious cheer.

Finally. A step in the right direction. He needed to remember to thank Hunk for being his wingman with this, because, even with the idea of games sounding great, he seemed to like Hunk. Maybe they could work with this.

* * *

“So… What are we seeing?” Pidge asked curiously, looking past Lance’s arm (Because he was too short to look over his shoulder) to look at the tickets on his phone.

“Hunk and I had talked about seeing this movie about these people who are purposefully killing themselves to see what happens in the afterlife. It seems like one of those mind abusive movies.” He told him, holding up his phone for the smaller teen to look at.

He would never admit it out loud, but his short height made the situation kind of cute.

“Huh…” Pidge uttered. “Never heard of it.”

“Well you said you aren’t into cinema, so I feel like that’s a reason.” He offered. Pidge made some sort of unintelligible retort under his breath before stepping back, looking to Hunk who was paying for his own ticket.

“I can get my own ticket.” He said, looking back to Lance. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s not a problem. Don’t worry about it.” Lance waved him off like it was nothing. “I told you it was my treat.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Alright, I’m all set.” Hunk announced, turning back to the two of them with a grin. Before Pidge could argue with Lance any more, the taller teen went up to the front window to pay for their tickets. Pidge frowned, visibly annoyed.

There was no getting out of this now. Pidge was stuck with them for the next few hours, and even a few more afterwards to go to the arcade. The only good thing about the movies was that they didn’t need to talk. That would be if Lance and Hunk weren’t those people who discussed movies _during_ the movie. Then, if Pidge got lucky, he could wander off in the arcade and hide until they were ready to leave.

They wouldn’t be there long. They couldn’t be there long. The movie was supposed to end at eight, and curfew was at ten. They were already thirty minutes from the school, so they had to keep a tight schedule if they wanted to avoid Iverson, and he couldn’t risk Iverson catching him.

If Iverson caught him, Pidge was utterly screwed.

“So how’s public school been so far?” Hunk asked. Pidge blinked back the heavy thoughts on his mind, realizing that the big guy was talking to him.

“Huh…?” He uttered.

“How has public school been?” Hunk asked again.

“Oh. Good, I guess…” He replied, looking to the ground when he realized that brown eyes were staring intently at him, waiting for some form of conversation. Hunk wasn’t Lance, and while Lance put up with his standoffish behavior, there was no telling what Hunk would do.

Also. Hunk was bigger than him. Much bigger. Something told Pidge it was best to at least be polite, lest he be sat on.

“Lance told me people were laughing at you in gym.” Hunk said, mindlessly walking forward towards the concession stand. Pidge rolled his eyes as he followed with a wider stride to keep up with the teen.

“Of course he did…” He uttered.

“Lance is just worried.” Hunk told him, looking up at the menu board to decide if he wanted anything else besides popcorn and soda.

“He shouldn’t be. He should just worry about himself.”

“He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t do that.” The bigger teen explained with a hand to his chin. Nachos with cheese, or a hot dog? That was a tough decision. “Lance worries about other people too much to worry about himself, so really he just wants to make sure you’re okay.”

“Why…?” He actually hadn’t meant for that to sound half as annoyed as it did.

“Cause he’s a friend to everyone. At least that’s what he says.”

Nachos and cheese sounded good. Plus it wouldn’t fill him up too much, and he could still eat pizza later.

“Well, he doesn’t need to worry about me.” Pidge said, looking to the floor. Hunk finally took his eyes off of the menu board, looking to the teen with mild interest. “I’m not here to make friends. I just need to get this year over with…”

Hunk stared for a little bit longer than necessary, taking those words into serious consideration while also hoping no one noticed. While he had speculated Pidge’s possible situation, he hadn’t thought that he could be right. He had hoped that what he said about the smaller teen had been a huge presumption and that he was here for a whole different reason, but maybe that wasn’t the case after all. Maybe what he had said turned out to be true, and he was looking at a kid stuck in a pretty crappy place with no choice but to just endure it.

It sounded like such an awful situation to be in.

“Hey guys,” Lance called out to them, quickly catching up while stuffing his phone into his pocket. “Come on, wait up.”

“It’s not our fault you were taking forever.” Hunk said, looking away from Pidge with a smile. Lance’s eyes flickered between the two of them, noticing the odd air between them.

Apparently a lot happened while he was paying for tickets.

“Uhm… Their scanner didn’t want to read my phone.” He explained, holding up his phone for emphasis.

“Is everything settled then?” The bigger teen asked.

“Yeah, it’s cool. They got it working.” Lance noticed Pidge standing just a little further to the left, his head down with his hands in his pockets like he was trying to mentally escape.

The brunette looked towards his friend with an impish expression. Hunk’s response wasn’t the least bit helpful; a simple pat on the shoulder and a smile before he went back too looking at the menu.

What had he just missed?

* * *

Hunk and Lance were talkers during a movie. Pidge should have known, but at least they weren’t the loud, absurd kind. They kept quietly to themselves, mumbling between bites of popcorn and sips of soda to themselves.

Only once had Lance tried to talk to Pidge throughout the whole movie, but it wasn’t like he was trying to keep conversation.

“This should be a drinking game. Take a shot every time they die.” He mumbled quietly, leaning over slightly above him so only Pidge could hear him.

The smaller teen rolled his eyes, but through the dark, Lance thought he could see the faintest outline of a smile on his lips. That would have been a first in the entire time they had known each other, but he played it off as the shadows bouncing off of his pale skin.

Lance had leaned back in his seat, and for a few minutes preoccupied himself with what was actually happening in the movie. He couldn’t help his wandering mind, however.

He couldn’t help thinking back to what he walked in on. The odd tension he felt in the air when he got back to Pidge and Hunk. How Pidge looked so uncomfortable and out of place, and how Hunk brushed off whatever was happening like it was nothing. The big man was pretty good about hiding things, whether anything bothered him or not, so something had to have been up for him to divert the whole situation to food.

After a few silent moments, a couple crunches of popcorn, and some bright, flashing lights, Lance finally leaned towards Hunk, his soda straw close to his lips.

“What happened with you and Pidge?” He asked quietly, his tone low to avoid the teen to his right hearing him.

“I’ll tell you about it later.” Hunk whispered, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Oh great. That line again. Lance hated it when he said that, or when anyone said that, but because it was his best friend involved with his roommate, he couldn’t help but question the situation. He couldn’t help but wonder, and when he said he’d _tell him about it later,_ that meant that something had happened, and it was something important.

So now he had to wait. He had to wait through the whole hour left of the movie to hear what had happened, because it was something important, and he had to wait until he _told him later._ He hated that so much.

The movie was nowhere near as interesting anymore.

* * *

“You were right…” Lance admitted as they walked out of the theater, tossing their trash away as they walked out. “That was not at all what I was expecting.”

“That was a total mind thriller,” Hunk said, pouncing past them. “It was way different from what I thought it was going to be though.”

“The rating of that movie was questionable,” Lance said with a laugh, looking to his left at Pidge, whose head was still down, looking at the floor. “What did you think, Pidge?”

“It was good,” He replied with, barely looking up. “Not what I thought it was going to be.”

“Right…?” It was a rhetorical question not meant for an answer, but Lance had hoped he’d somehow continue the conversation from there. He didn’t.

“So, ready for the arcade?” Hunk asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets in search for his phone.

“Absolutely,” Lance said, looking towards Pidge again. The smaller teen simply nodded his head, not even half of the excitement he saw from him earlier showing. In slight annoyance for some reaction, Lance elbowed his shoulder with a grin. “I know you’re ready for that Mercury Gameflex Two.”

That got a response from him that he was expecting. At least a bit of it.

“You like games, Pidge?” Hunk asked him, finally finding his phone and checking it.

“Yeah, sort of.”

“Something tells me it’s just a bit more than _sort of_.” Lance remarked with a grin.

“Well we better get going then if we want to do anything,” Hunk told them both, turning his phone around to show them the time. “It’s already eight thirty.”

“Eight thirty?” Lance asked, quickly fishing his phone from his pocket to double check the time. “The movie wasn’t that long, was it?”

“The previews were probably ten minutes extra.” Pidge muttered with a frown.

“Well let’s get moving so we don’t miss anything.” Lance said, shuffling faster to get out of the theater. Hunk and Pidge followed, the smaller teen’s steps bigger, almost a run to keep up with the two of them.

The theater and the arcade were only two blocks apart, but they still needed to get there and hang out for a bit, and then leave to go back to their school before curfew. If Lance had plans to follow through with pizza and the quote on quote, _babes_ , they needed to move fast.

It didn’t take as long as they feared, but after the first day of school on a busy night, it should have come as no surprise that the place was packed.

Busy would have been an understatement. Lance felt like he needed a leash on Pidge or he’d lose the guy in the sea of people, but the smaller teen stuck close to them as they maneuvered themselves to the front desk to get coins for some of the games. It was actually a little overwhelming to be here when it was like this, and Lance could only remember a few other times it had been like this. Namely just a few days before summer break last year, but that had been it.

“I’m paying for myself this time.” Pidge insisted, pulling Lance from his overwhelmed stupor. It wasn’t a suggestion either; it was a demand. An order if he were to think about it on a whole different level. He already seemed to be on an irritable side tonight, so there really wasn’t a reason to argue with him.

“Alright. If you want. I figured you’d appreciate a free pass for the night.” Lance offered. Pidge didn’t respond, instead reaching for his backpack to fish for his wallet. “It’s not like I don’t know what you’ll spend all of your money on tonight anyway.” He added with a smug grin.

Pidge frowned, but from where he stood and from the height difference they shared, it was almost like he was pouting.

“So I’ll get pizza, and Lance, you get drinks.” Hunk concluded, shoving his hands into his pockets as they waited for the people ahead of them to finish at the register.

“Got it.” Lance gave him a thumbs up. “And _I_ shall provide the babes.”

“That’ll be interesting.” Pidge muttered under his breath.

“What…?”

“Nothing,” The teen quickly back peddled, even when Lance hadn’t properly heard him over the chatter around them.

“You gonna get any candy, Pidge?” Hunk asked him. Pidge looked up to the board with the options of their candy, scoping out what could only be their possible choices. If he were to get any, he knew what he’d get, but what about the other two? It sounded like he had to contribute to something here.

“They have peanut butter cups.” He mentioned.

“Eww, those things taste like cardboard.” Lance grimaced.

“No they don’t. They taste like peanut butter.” Pidge argued.

“Peanut butter tastes like cardboard.” To that Lance shrugged. He could see the irritation stretch across the smaller of the three’s face, and knowing Pidge (Which he didn’t, but he knew him enough), he knew the teen was inclined to kick him in the shin. “What? You like peanut butter?”

“Yeah. Peanut butter is awesome.” It was said like a blunt statement. Like every fact in the world couldn’t compare to the one that he said.

“It’s not that great.”

“It’s _awesome_.”

“Hey, uh, you guys?” Hunk interrupted them, his eyes traveling between the two of them in what seemed to be a small argument about peanut butter. Something edible.

Nothing could have been more awkward than that.

“What?” Lance asked.

“Are you guys going to get your tokens so we can play?”

As usual, Hunk was the mediator, solving everything with just a short couple of words. He knew how to kill an argument, and that had never been a bad thing. Anymore and the two of them probably would have broken out into an argument about god knows what else in front of all of these people.

“Yes,” Pidge said before Lance could say anything more, and before he could do anything else, Pidge walked past the two of them and to the front desk when it was finally open.

Lance stayed back, pulling lightly on Hunk’s shirt to keep him at his side while Pidge was distracted. Now would have been the perfect time to talk about earlier.

“So what was going on?” He asked of the bigger teen, lowering his voice so Pidge, who was only two feet away, didn’t hear them.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s later…”

Hunk’s lips parted in understanding, stepping back a bit so as not to bring suspicion to them.

“I’m pretty sure I was right…” Hunk muttered, turning his head away slightly for added protection.

“About what?”

“About his situation.” Hunk motioned to the smaller teen with his head and his eyes. “When we were talking, he definitely made it sound like he’s stuck here. He kept saying he just wanted this year to be done.” He explained, watching as Lance looked in Pidge’s direction. “I mentioned you, and I told him you were trying to be his friend, because you were worried about him.”

“I am not.” Lance tried to argue.

“As you do.” Hunk mused before continuing. “And he said you shouldn’t, because he’s not here to make friends. He just wants this year to be over with.”

Lance let those words settle in his mind before looking towards Pidge. The smaller brunette was getting his cup of tokens by now, no doubt ready to run off to find the new gaming system he wanted to play and ditching them for it. He was also checking out some of the candy in the cabinet, looking for the peanut butter cups he had been talking about.

He’d leave them behind and run off to be by himself, because he didn’t want friends. At least, that’s what he said, but Lance didn’t want to believe that. People didn’t just want to be alone all the time. Sometimes, maybe, but all of the time? He refused to believe that.

Pidge had something he was hiding. Something notable that was making him suffer, and he wanted to suffer alone. That was only going to make his life miserable though, and make the year drag on for far longer than it needed to. Lance was absolutely positive of this.

His first year hadn’t gone quite as smoothly as he would have liked, and yeah, he and Hunk didn’t get alone right away, but overtime they bonded. They found interests they shared and built off that, and he was sure he could do the same for Pidge. Anything if it meant saving him from suffering alone.

“Huh…” He uttered, looking down at the floor that really needed to be swept up of popcorn.

“It sounds like Pidge has a lot on his plate.” Hunk told him, reaching back for his wallet. “If you really want to be his friend, being direct may not be the best way to go.”

Sometimes it was annoying how often Hunk was right about things. Sometimes it wasn’t.

This was one of those times where it was both.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Lance rubbed at the back of his neck with a groan just as Pidge turned around, candy in one hand and a cup of tokens in the other.

“You look set.” Hunk offered with a bright smile.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Pidge tucked his candy into his pocket. “Later.”

Just like Lance had predicted, Pidge went off in a random direction without knowing where anything was, and he didn’t stop him. The two of them silently stood by, holding up the line as the smaller teen disappeared into the busy sea of other teenagers, as well as parents and kids.

“You aren’t going to go after him?” The bigger of the two asked, looking mildly surprised.

“Nah,” Lance walked forward, fishing for his wallet to pay the cashier and stop holding up the line. “It’s not that big of an arcade. We’ll bump into him.”

* * *

Sure enough, he did.

As Lance had said, it wasn’t a big arcade. It also was the only one, so it was packed with people. A busy night like this meant not a lot of space to walk around, and a lot of bumping into people. Pidge was one of them.

He wasn’t at the Mercury Gameflux Two like Lance had thought. Instead the smaller teen was at a basketball game, shooting hoops and missing each time. He didn’t look to be in the best of moods, but Lance still found himself navigating through the crowds to get to him and see what he was up to (Like that wasn’t already easy to see).

“Hey Pidge,” He greeted as he walked up behind him, his cup of tokens in his hand. The teen looked to him with an apathetic expression, not deterred in the slightest by his presence.

“Hey,” He replied, looking back to shoot the basketball at the hoop. It missed.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were going to play the Gameflux all night.” Lance questioned, watching him reach for another ball.

“Some idiot got their drink on it and fried it.” Pidge explained, sounding very bitter about it. “It’s broken.”

“Aw, sorry Pidge.” Lance apologized, leaning against the machine. “I dragged you all the way here for a game that’s not even working.”

“It’s not your fault…” Pidge’s hands twirled the ball between his fingers, his eyes looking down at it and not at him. “You aren’t the idiot who broke it.”

“No, but if I said I was, you could throw a ball at me and feel better.” Lance offered. He was surprised to see the small pull against the corners of his lips.

Was that a smile?

“Probably, but you aren’t.” Pidge tossed the ball, watching as it bounced off of the rim and down into the pit.

“Tuck your arm in.” Lance told him.

“What…?”

Lance came up to stand beside him, lifting his arms up for reference.

“You’ve got your arm sticking out like this, and that throws your aim off. Tuck it in like this and you’ll have more control over where the ball goes.” He explained.

Pidge stared at him with a hard to read expression, a look that Lance didn’t see too often. Some sort of confusion mixed with shock and a smidge of amazement. There was probably a bigger word that would describe the look on his face, but Lance didn’t know it.

In lieu of a verbal response, Pidge simply turned back to the game in front of him and picked up one of the few basketballs he had left. He looked to his hands in discomfort, trying to figure out where his arm should go, but Lance answered that for him.

Without warning, Lance reached behind him, tugging his right arm in and his left arm back just the slightest. He ignored the way Pidge physically jumped in his arms, startled by the contact, and instead helped his arms up higher.

“Try that,” He coaxed him once his hands were in place. Again Pidge didn’t respond, but he didn’t push him away as he aimed for the hoop that really wasn’t that far off. Lance could made it with his eyes closed, but he did have a foot and a half over the teen.

Pidge sighed against him before throwing the ball, his body lurching forward in an awkward way that would suggest he was trying to get away, but he didn’t. Not with Lance so close, and to his utter surprise, it went into the hoop with no problem. It didn’t even bounce off the rim. It was his first accurate shot of the night.

“Huh…” Instead of a sound of victory, Pidge only muttered in surprise, looking up at him with big, brown eyes that Lance hadn’t really seen this close before. “How’d you know that?”

“I happen to be an excellent shot.” He bragged, his shoulders rolling in a cocky manner as he reached for the last basketball. “And it helps to learn when you’re the baby in the family. Your older siblings tend to pick on you when you can’t do something right.” Pidge rolled his eyes before watching Lance make the shot, and getting it right into the hoop. “Something tells me by the face you just made that you understand how I feel.”

“… Yeah.” Pidge admitted, looking to the arcade games beside them.

“You have any siblings?” Lance asked curiously.

“… An older brother, yeah.” He responded, walking away. His cup of tokens was left behind, only for Lance to pick it up for him and follow close behind him.

“That must be fun. Lots of noogies, right?”

“Sort of,” Pidge’s steps were slow, deliberate. His hands settled in his pockets with his eyes downcast. He wasn’t even looking at the games anymore.

Lance had figured that he might have hit a mark.

“Does he look like you?” He asked of him, regardless of where this conversation was going. Maybe, if he didn’t push too hard, Pidge would open up. “Your brother, I mean.”

“Yeah. You can’t tell us apart from the back.” Pidge smiled softly, as if he was remembering a fond memory. “When he was younger, people used to think we were twins.”

Lance inwardly wondered if that meant that his brother was as tiny as he was.

“Sounds like you two caused some trouble.”

“Nah, we just studied. He taught me a lot about space. He showed me all of the stars and constellations and stuff…” Pidge’s voice trailed off as he reminisced, his eyes widening as if he’d just come to understand something.

“What’s wrong?” The taller teen asked, tilting his head slightly to see his face better.

“I… I-I have to go,” He suddenly said, shifting for his backpack to sit better on his shoulders.

“What? Right now?” Lance questioned, his brows lifting as Pidge began pacing away. “W-Wait, Pidge, we’ve got another hour before we need to get back!”

“I’ve gotta go _now!_ ” Pidge argued, his steps getting wider, but he was trapped between people. He couldn’t run like he wanted to.

“Come on, Pidge! We just got here,” His cup ignored, Lance reached out for his hand.

Pidge’s wrist was tiny, seemingly fragile between his fingers, but he was by no means powerless.

The teen circled his hand around Lance’s so fast that he hadn’t seen how he broke away, but he didn’t miss the flash of regret, almost like guilt written in those eyes hidden behind his glasses before Pidge turned away, winding through the crowd.

He was too small to see through all of these people, and with the way he moved, he was easily out of the building and down the street by the time Lance managed to push his way to the front, where he could spot Hunk getting a soda.

Just like that, Pidge was gone. No explanations, and no reasons behind why.

He just left.


	4. Awkward Becomes Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in two weeks? THY BE WITCHCRAFT- *Shot*

Despite previous concerns, Hunk and Lance got back to the Garrison two minutes before lights out. The security guards at the gates were glaring at them with narrowed eyes, but nothing could be said. They were still there before curfew, and they had no arguments otherwise.

They went their separate ways when it came time to leave for their dorms. While they were still in a rush to be in their rooms on time, Hunk still offered up a strong hand against Lance’s shoulder, giving him a nod and a _good luck_. He was going to need it.

After Pidge left, Lance instantly went to Hunk, who was looking for his table to eat. He sat down with him and explained the whole situation, without going into too much details about what Pidge had said about his brother. He felt that was personal information, and if Pidge wanted other people to know, he’d tell them about it. It shouldn’t have come from someone else.

Details about his brother had been left out, but the conversation floated around what they had talked about, and how Pidge rushed out of there. Hunk had remained silent to hear the story, mainly due to the abrupt and loud shouts around them from the kids in the arcade. When Lance was done, Hunk merely nodded, taking all of the information and sorting it out through his big brain.

Lance wasn’t entirely sure if he had a question about it really. When he told Hunk what happened, he wasn’t sure if he was asking for advice, looking for answers, or something in between. Regardless, he was lost. Seeing Pidge run off after opening up about his brother, even when not much had been said, only seemed to verify all that Hunk had predicted.

He was stuck here. Pidge was here for some reason or another, and it wasn’t because he _wanted_ to be here. From the sound of it, he really missed his brother too. Just the look in his eyes was enough to prove it.

So Hunk told him what he had said before. Take his time. Let Pidge come to him. Don’t force it, and let it come naturally. Pidge would open up one way or another, or maybe not at all, and that was fine, so long as he knew Lance was there if he needed someone to go to.

Lance didn’t need to be his friend. What he needed to be was a confidant. Someone Pidge could confide in when he really needed it. The pressure would be enough to make him talk on his own. Lance just had to let it happen naturally.

So he kept that in mind as he quietly snuck into his dorm, tip toeing past other rooms so he wouldn’t disturb anyone (it was pretty late, after all), and heading to his room. He was surprised to find that the door wasn’t locked, but when he came in, he didn’t see Pidge. His backpack was sitting at the foot of his bed, open, but not attached to him like Lance normally saw it.

It was almost like he was missing a limb.

Lance didn’t see him anywhere in the room, so he came to the natural conclusion that Pidge must have gone to sneak a snack from the cafeteria before heading to bed. His pajamas were still on his bed too.

Bed sounded like a pretty decent thing right now. Today had been long, and despite all they had been doing was getting syllabuses and meeting teachers, he was tuckered out. Exhausted was a better word really.

He could take a shower early in the morning, he concluded. He just needed to get dressed, and go to the bathroom. He didn’t challenge Hunk to a soda chugging contest this time around, but he still drank too much, both at the movies and at the arcade.

Lance was struck with a bit of guilt as he went to the bathroom, feeling bad that Pidge’s favorite game had been broken before opening the door. He had to make it up to him one of these days, whether Pidge wanted him to or no-

“Lance!”

The brunette shot back at the shout of his name, flailing his arms around in an attempt at something, but he wasn’t sure what. He didn’t see anything, but he fumbled about for only a few seconds longer before shutting the door at the order of his roommate.

“I’m sorry!” He cried out, covering his eyes. Even when the door was shut and he hadn’t seen anything to begin with, he still felt the need to do so. “I didn’t know you were in there! I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t you know how to knock?” Came a snap from inside the bathroom. Lance heard the door open, but barely peeked past his fingers. Pidge’s head was only partially exposed, mainly showing his eyes and hair as he looked to Lance.

“I thought you weren’t here!” Lance excused, but Pidge seemed to be too embarrassed to fight with him.

“Just… Just hand me my clothes!” Pidge exclaimed, his arm reaching past the door to point to his pajamas on his bed.

Lance was going to pretend he didn’t see anything, but he couldn’t help but glance at his wet arm and question how small and… _Dainty_ it was. He couldn’t help but stare for a second longer than necessary, looking at the fine dusting of hair and pale skin that had a few specs of freckles dotted along his upper arms.

Pidge was really tiny for a seventeen year old.

Regardless, he did as told, quickly grabbing them and handing them over so Pidge could disappear into the bathroom.

There was some fumbling from inside the bathroom; the sound of a plastic bag zipping shut and clothes being picked up and tossed around before Pidge finally came out of the bathroom, his hair wet, his skin flushed from head to toe, and his hands full of his toiletries and dirty clothes that he held close to his chest.

“I-I’m really sorry. I swear, I thought you weren’t here-”

“Did you see anything?” Pidge asked, his eyes wide and filled with something almost akin to fear, but why? Why would he be afraid?

“Huh…?”

“Did you see anything?” Pidge punctuated each word with a bout of irritation, his eyes narrowing at the taller teen.

“No, I didn’t. You shouted too fast for me to even step on the tile.” Lance assured him.

Whatever it was about that seemed to be enough for Pidge. The horror that had been written across his face practically melted, his shoulders sagging in relief. He sighed, seemingly relaxed knowing he hadn’t been seen in the buff before walking past Lance and shoving his things into his backpack.

The brunette couldn’t help but wonder if the whole free world lived inside of Pidge’s backpack.

“Uhm… Sorry?” Lance offered up, slightly confused by his behavior. He’d come to find within a week though that Pidge was full of odd behaviors that he probably wasn’t going to understand.

“It’s… Fine.” There was a bite in how he spoke. “Just… Learn how to knock, okay?”

Well that was new.

Normally Lance was the victim to a cruel tone and a harsh bite. While Pidge still seemed pretty annoyed, he wasn’t nearly as angry with him as he was usually.

He wasn’t entirely sure how to handle this.

“I’ll remember. Sorry. Hunk and I didn’t really ever knock, so…”

“That’s so weird,” Pidge finished putting his stuff away, but he still seemed uncomfortable about something. Lance didn’t think he could still be upset about him nearly walking in on him, but the brunette was doing so much fidgeting that it seemed like it.

“You okay?” Lance asked him.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“You’re all… Twitchy.” Lance watched as Pidge tugged at the collar of his shirt, pulling it up a bit to cover his neck.

“I’m not twitchy. I’m just… Tired.” He excused, slowly climbing into bed, wet hair and all.

“No, Pidge, you seem kind of-” Before Lance could finish that sentence, or before Pidge could argue with him, his backpack went tumbling to the floor from the foot of his bed. Two pencils, his notebook, his previous clothes, and that oddly colored, floral printed pencil case came out with it.

It meant nothing to Lance that it fell, so it should have meant nothing for him to pick it up for the brunette who claimed to be _tired_. However, he showed no signs of exhaustion when Lance bent down, picking up his clothes.

“N-No, Lance! I got it!” Pidge scrambled from under his blankets, reaching down to rip his shirt form his grasp. Lance, only slightly deterred by this action, knew that this was more than likely one of Pidge’s over-reacted mannerisms, and kept going.

He picked up the floral printed bag instead, and before Pidge could yank that from his grasp as well, it spilled open. Apparently the zipper had been open, as was evidence to the small bottle of pills, Advil if he took notice to, came spilling out, along with something else.

Lance had to do a double take. Maybe a triple take. Stare down at the object like it didn’t actually sit on the floor by his notebook.

A tampon.

Lance had never seen Pidge move so fast in the short time they had known each other, scurrying out of bed to pick up the “feminine hygiene product” as his older brothers had called it and hide it against his baggy t-shirt and chest.

Pidge looked shocked. He looked horrified. He looked like another big word that once again Lance did not know, but that’s what he looked like. Even his shoulders were shaking, his hands gripping so tightly at the tampon that his knuckles turned white.

“… W-Why do you have…?” Lance didn’t think he was mature enough to say the word without flushing a bright red color.

“I-I get really bad allergies!” Pidge exclaimed, his voice shaking just as much as he was.

“… Allergies-?”

“Y-Yeah! I get really bad allergies, and sometimes I get nosebleeds!” He explained, but by the look of confusion on his face that looked very similar to a deer caught in headlights, he didn’t understand. “A-And these? You know-!”

It came to the painfully obvious conclusion that Pidge could not explain their function like a mature adult either.

Instead, Pidge took the tampon out of its wrapper and pulled it from its applicator. Without wasting another moment, he stuck it up his nose.

“See?” Pidge asked, his hands falling to his hips with an exasperated manner, followed by a nervous laugh.

Oh yeah. Lance saw.

Lance saw the tail end of a tampon sticking out of this tiny teen’s nose with the string dangling in front of his lips. He saw the exasperation to the idea just as much as he realized how shocked he was in himself by looking upon the spectacle in front of him.

Lance had moments in his life where he had something to say, but he couldn’t seem to get it out. Never before had he been in a situation where he had absolutely nothing to say.

He just stared.

“C-Cause they soak up blood, you know? So like, I use them for bloody noses!” Pidge felt the need to explain it further, even when Lance could fully understand the function of a tampon. He just couldn’t seem to wrap his head around this whole situation at the moment.

“… Uh huh.” He uttered, slowly nodding his head. He felt overly stupid not having something better to say.

“W-What’s wrong?” Pidge stuttered, and quickly yanked the tampon out by its string. It was useless now.

“I guess… That makes sense.” Lance offered, slowly lifting the floral bag up for Pidge to take.

“It does?” The brunette asked, his eyes widening.

“Yeah. I mean… That’s their intended purpose… Just, you know, never thought someone could use them for that.” He explained as Pidge took his bag. “Uh, well… Yeah.”

“Yeah…”

This was where neither of them had any idea what to say next, but maybe that was for the best. Pidge bent down to collect his things into his backpack again, embarrassingly silent as he did so. Lance abandoned the previous offer to help, instead kicking off his shoes beside the ladder and climbing up quietly.

His pajamas were forgotten about.

* * *

“That’s… Really weird.” Hunk uttered, poking his fork into his mashed potatoes.

“I mean… It kind of makes sense.” Lance offered, but he knew he was out of luck.

“Lance,” Hunk said in a deep, quiet tone, leaning forward so no one would hear him. “The dude has tampons with him. That’s weird.”

“Okay, it’s weird.” He easily agreed. “But I kind of feel bad for him. Pidge gets allergies so bad to that he uses girl stuff to take care of his constant bloody noses? That sucks.”

Hunk sat back on the bench, sighing as he picked up a fork full of his mashed potatoes dripping with gravy.

“Well, at least they’re being used for their intended purpose.” He assured, to which made Lance shudder.

“Ugh, I don’t need to think about that.”

“About tampons? Come on, Lance. You have sisters.”

“Yeah, I do, but that’s just...” He shuddered again. “It’s gross. It’s weird. Its blood that should be in the body, and it’s just… Ugh, can we talk about something else now?” Lance asked, turning his attention back to his food. “I’d like to finish this.”

“You’re the one who brought it up.” Hunk clarified, but the brunette shot him a dirty look. “Alright, well besides the tampon incident, how did the rest of your talk go with him?”

“It didn’t. We were both kind of embarrassed after that.” Lance told him, leaning his head into his hand that rested against the table. “Our conversation really consisted of yelling, annoyance, and then the tampon.”

“Interesting way to start off the school year, don’t you think?” Hunk questioned with a smirk.

“Sorry Hunk, but Pidge is currently beating you as room-mate of the year.” He openly agreed. “Just not in the way I could have hoped for.”

“Well if you ask me-”

“Which I didn’t.”

“But you’d be lost without me.” Hunk had a point. “You still need to talk about this with him. You need to sit with him, maybe when you guys have some down time, and talk about what happened. I know Pidge isn’t interested in having friends, and he doesn’t want you worrying over him, but I think it’d be good if you at least let him know you’re there for him.”

Lance slowly nodded his head as he listened, in between taking a few bites of fries so he didn’t waste the little time he did have for lunch. If he finished fast enough, he could leave to hang out in his room for a bit. Some nice music would calm his nerves.

“Pidge, whatever his story is, is in a really bad place right now. He may think he doesn’t need a friend, but being alone is only going to make things worse, so let him know you don’t have to be his friend, but if he needs a shoulder to cry on, he’s got you.”

As usual, Hunk was right. He always had a point to make, and he made it clear.

Lance didn’t need to be his friend. Not yet anyway. He just needed to be there for him until Pidge was ready to open up.

“But what if he doesn’t want someone like that?” Lance couldn’t help but ask.

“I get the feeling that he will,” Hunk assured him. “It’s not about wanting someone like that. It’s about _needing_ someone like that, but, if he doesn’t, well then he knows he still has someone who’s got his back.” The bigger teen took up a spork full of food to eat in between talking. “I don’t think he is going to do that though. He needs someone to be there for him.”

“… Don’t you think he’d call home?” Lance asked. “That’s what I would do if I was upset.”

“If the problem is at home, then he probably won’t.” Hunk reminded him, taking a sip from his soda.

Lance hated to think that. He couldn’t imagine being so out of place in his own home, even to the degree that he couldn’t call to vent his feelings or tell his family that he missed them and loved them.

Pidge had mentioned his brother though. Pidge had talked about him with a distant look in his eyes and a fond expression on his face, like he still cared about him at the very least. If that was the case, why didn’t he call his brother?

“Maybe he can’t…” Lance muttered, more to himself than Hunk, but the bigger teen heard him over the chatter of the other students anyway.

“Can’t what?” Hunk asked with a frown, his eyebrows lifted with confusion.

“Well uh, I didn’t say this last night, but Pidge told me he has a brother.” Lance explained, rubbing the back of his neck. Hunk wasn’t the type of guy to gossip, so if Pidge didn’t want anyone knowing about his life, then it was only going to stay between Lance and Hunk.

“He does?”

“Yeah. He’s got an older brother, and he said he used to teach him about the stars and stuff. He seemed really happy talking about it, so I was thinking there must be a reason he can’t call his brother.”

“I guess Pidge will open up about that when he’s ready.” Hunk mumbled, grabbing for a french-fry from Lance’s plate. The brunette was too distracted by what was on his mind to really notice or care.

He couldn’t get the look on Pidge’s face out of his mind. He seemed so happy, so content talking about his brother. If Lance were to place a word on how he looked, he would say… _Gentle_. That was the only thing coming to mind.

Pidge looked gentle. He didn’t know exactly why he’d say that, or how he could use that as a description, but that’s what came to mind. His brother was obviously important to him, so it brought on a sense of gentleness he hadn’t seen from him yet.

It made him wonder what really happened. Why was Pidge here and not at home with his brother? Why was he not enjoying his time with his family?

If Pidge had been homeschooled all of his life, why now was he in public school, in a _dormitory?_

What had happened? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to make up for the shortness of this chapter with the next one. I want to get into the groove of writing this so I'm not leaving a giant gap of wait in between updates, but also keep you guys entertained. :) Thanks for being so patient with me!


	5. What Goes Around Comes Around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like how I said I'd bring you a longer chapter for the next chapter, and here is the next one... That isn't that long...  
> Things are going to heat up soon though! I promise!  
> -Misty

“What are you doing?”

Suffice it to say, when Pidge walked into his dorm room after class, he wasn’t expecting Lance in his desk chair, sitting at his desk, head tilted back over the chair.

With a tampon hanging from his nose.

Pidge could easily come to the conclusion that his second week of school was going… _Odd_.

To say the least.

“Oh, hey…” Lance replied, lifting his head slowly. The room didn’t spin nearly as bad as it had earlier, but he could tell his nose was still bleeding just a bit.

“Uhm, that’s… My…” Pidge wasn’t entirely sure how to breach the subject without simultaneously barking at him and wondering out loud why he had a tampon shoved up his nose.

“Yeah, sorry. I dropped a book on my nose and it started bleeding, and I remembered your little trick from last week, so… Ya know.” Lance slowly pulled the blood stained tampon from his nose to feel around. He could probably go without this now. “This is a pretty good hack actually. I didn’t know these things expanded like this.”

“Y-Yeah, they do. Uhm…” Pidge dropped his backpack to the floor, shifting his weight on his feet. “You went through my stuff?”

“Just your shower bag. I hope you don’t mind.”

“D-Did you see anything in there?” He asked hesitantly.

“No?” Lance stated questionably. “Should I have?”

“N-No. I just don’t like people going through my stuff.”

“What, you have porn in your stuff?” Lance couldn’t help the light joke as he tossed away the bloody tampon. He figured he might need to cover that.

People were going to get suspicious and think he had a girl living with him if they saw that.

“Psh, yeah right.” Pidge uttered, his steps light as he went into the bathroom. Lance figured now was a good time to get back to studying, if he could. There was no real reason to; he didn’t have any tests coming up, and they had only just started on the first chapter in most of his courses, but his goal was better grades. That meant he needed to buckle down and cut out the middle man this year.

Studying never hurt anyone. Besides, he had this covered. He figured he just needed to review it. He didn’t need to know everything. He just needed to keep everything fresh in his mind.

“Hey, uh, Lance…” Pidge poked his head from the bathroom, his hands holding his shower bag with him.

“Yeah…?” Lance looked away from his book.

“Listen, uhm…” Pidge shifted his weight again, looking uncomfortable. “This is going to sound weird, but… I didn’t really have a lot of those to begin with, and uhm…”

“Say no more.” Lance assured him. “I’ll get you more.”

“Really…?” Pidge’s brows relaxed at his words.

“I’ve got three older sisters. I’m used to going on trips with them for girl stuff, so I can get some.” Lance explained, leaning back in his seat. “You just want the generic ones?”

“Uh, I-I’d much rather prefer the more expensive ones.”

“Huh? Why the expensive ones?”

“They’re more comfortable.” Pidge said. Lance fixed him with a confused look. “F-For bloody noses anyway.”

“Huh. Didn’t know they were any different.” Lance sat back to look at his book. “No problem. I’ll get you some.”

Lance wanted to leave it simple. He didn’t want to push Pidge, just like Hunk had said, but there was something really uplifting about the way Pidge sighed, seemingly relaxed.

They were getting somewhere.

* * *

Ten dollars for a pack of twenty five tampons was freaking ridiculous.

* * *

Lance groaned, half dazed and fogged over by sleep. His mind was trying so hard to focus on a dreamless state, but he couldn’t. Not with the sounds of clicking every second that went by.

The teen even went so far as to cover his head with his pillow, but it wasn’t working. He could still hear the clicks, the fast typing of a keyboard that made his eyes twitch.

This was getting unnecessary.

Pidge stayed up at crazy hours, and at first it didn’t bother him. Lance could ignore the small mutters and curses under the teen’s breath, but then Pidge started working more. What he was doing other than studying was beyond his wildest imagination.

Lance was fine with studying. Of course he was. They both had classes they need to pass, but if Pidge was going to be typing up God knows what at three in the morning, they needed to have a discussion.

No better time than the present, right?

“Hey, Pidge…” Lance uttered from his bunk, looking down to where the smaller brunette sat at his desk, his table light on, lighting up the whole room, while he typed away at his laptop. He didn’t seem to hear him. “Pidge…” He called again.

Pidge looked back, and it was now that Lance noticed the headphones in his ears. He watched as the teen removed them, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“What…?”

“Listen… I get you have to study, but… Could you at least… Not type so loud?” If it weren’t so late into the night (Early into the morning actually), Lance would have worded that better, and in a way that was both inoffensive and reasonable, but his mind was exhausted. He couldn’t think straight, and as such, it shouldn’t have surprised him when the teen replied bitterly.

“No…? I’m working.”

This had happened a few nights prior. When Lance had been awoken by his “work” and he had to talk to him. He was met with a very similar reaction as now, but this just wasn’t okay.

Pidge may have never had a roommate before, but he needed to know that there needed to be boundaries set, and that they could come to a reasonable agreement, so that Lance could sleep, and Pidge could get his work done in peace and quiet without interruptions.

“Listen, Pidge…” Lance forced himself up on his elbows, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I know that you’re working, and that’s great and all, but we’ve gotta work on your sleep schedule or something.”

“I’m busy, Lance.”

Lance sighed.

He had thought that they were making progress last week, but it seemed that it wasn’t the case. Pidge was growing more and more defensive, and it wasn’t like he was forcing it.

He did exactly what Hunk said, and that was to let him become accustomed to him.

Well, he did it, and Pidge just seemed to grow more distant with each passing day. Their small conversations before had turned into one worded greetings, most of the time from him. Lance told himself that Pidge was just growing more irritable, because he had been away from his family for a month now, but being upset didn’t mean he needed to take it out on anyone.

“Which I see, but you being busy is affecting my sleep.”

“Put on headphones.”

Lance stuck his tongue out at him when Pidge looked away.

There was no point in arguing this now. He was too tired for a proper argument, and clearly Pidge was too annoyed to agree with him. Instead, Lance reached for his headphones on his shelf and tucked them in his ears.

It drowned out the noise relatively well, but he still heard the clicks, followed by a sigh.

The brunette peeked past his tightly closed eyes, noticing Pidge stop typing. His fingers tapped against the keys lightly before he sighed again, leaning back to close his laptop.

Whatever he had been working on had been interrupted enough to make him stop. Or, dare Lance think, he had grown a heart and understood that he was tired.

Lance watched despite himself, his eyes silently following Pidge’s form as he shut off his lamp and slowly made his way to bed. He crawled into the bunk beneath him, and once Lance had removed his headphones, he heard the tail end of a sniffle.

Pidge was upset.

* * *

Another week had gone by. It had been a month and a half of living with Pidge, and unfortunately it was just getting worse.

He’d come to the final conclusion that he wasn’t going to talk to him. It needed to be as simple as that. Trying to have a discussion on any level with him was not working anymore, so it just seemed better not to talk to him.

He’d come to him if he needed to. He’d come to him when he was ready. He kept repeating this in his head from what Hunk said weeks ago, but he was losing his patience, and fast.

Okay, so maybe they wouldn’t be friends. He’d come to accept that fact, but the least Pidge could do was be nice to him, or at least respect the fact that he had classes too, and that he needed to sleep in order to keep his grades up. Even that seemed to be too much to ask from the brunette, who went about life like he was a fly floating around his head. Every time he got close, Pidge would swat him away and move on.

Was human decency something he didn’t know how to do?

He was letting it get to him. He knew he was, but he didn’t know how to handle the situation or what to do about it. They lived together, and they’d live together for the rest of the year, which, frankly, couldn’t end soon enough. He was at a point where Pidge’s pity story he’d concluded to wasn’t doing anything to him. He was just being mean, and it was at the point of not being fair to him.

Regardless, he needed to let this go. If Pidge was going to seek out his friendship ( _When_ had been taken off of the table at this point), he would, but Lance needed to do what he was doing, and that was move on with his life.

“McClain, keep your head in the game!”

Speaking of which.

Lance startled at the call of his name, his mind coming back to the situation at hand. Where had he been again?

Oh right. Gym class.

“Pass it!” He called out to the defensive midfielder as he stole the ball from the striker.

The soccer ball was kicked in his direction and Lance caught it with ease, dribbling the ball between his feet to keep it away from the other team as he ran to the goal. He had it, and his goal was in sight. He only thin stopping him was the midfielder defense, the stopper, the sweeper, and the goalie, who just happened to be his roommate.

Pidge looked small in his soccer clothes, standing at attention and ready with his hands up, but no one trusted him. Lance’s team had already scored four points while they had none, and that was because Pidge was not at all a good goalie. When he was on the field like he was, he was fine. He was actually quick and a force to be reckoned with, but he wasn’t a good goalie.

So it wasn’t hard to get the ball past him. The others took some effort, but he managed just fine after a few swift kicks and twists to keep it away. Pidge was the only thing standing in his way, and it shouldn’t have been a problem.

It was. Of course it was. Lance had that sort of luck, and apparently, so did Pidge when he kicked the ball to the goal, and the brunette managed to stop it when it went directly at him, and hit him where the sun didn’t shine.

The whole field broke out into sounds of pain, having known what that felt like and feeling for him. Pidge bent over like the air had been knocked out of him, and quickly did Lance run to him to check on him.

“Pidge! Are you okay?” Lance rested a hand on his shoulder as he coughed a bit, his head nodding lightly. “Pidge, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

Of course he didn’t mean it. He was aiming for the goal, not between his legs. Pidge just happened to jump in between the ball and the goal at the perfectly wrong time and angle.

“I-It’s fine,” Pidge straightened his back, his hand grabbing for Lance’s arm. “I know. That’s what I get for trying to play the goalie.”

“Are you okay?” Lance’s eyebrows raised in confusion as Pidge took a couple of deep breaths.

For someone who just got a soccer ball between the legs, he seemed pretty okay.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good.”

“You alright, Gunderson?” Iverson called from where he stood at the edge of the field. Pidge gave the thumbs up to him, standing tall despite all that just happened.

“Pidge, are you sure you’re okay?” Lance asked him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. “If you need to sit down for a few minutes, you can.”

“No, I’m good.” Pidge nodded his head and kicked the ball at his feet. “Let’s just get back to the game.

* * *

“Hunk, I’m telling you.” Lance said, his hand waving his fork around enthusiastically, which he probably shouldn’t have been doing while there were noodles dug into the prongs. He had more important things on his mind, however. “That guy has huevos of steel!”

“Are you sure the ball actually hit him there?” Hunk asked between bites of his lunch.

“It was right on target, and he barely even flinched!” Lance poked his fork at his food like he had a vendetta against it. “I’ve never seen a guy take a hit to the groin and not fall over in pain, Hunk.”

“We’ve all been there,” Hunk agreed. “Maybe the ball didn’t hit him as hard as you think it did, or maybe he blocked it with his hands more than what you saw.”

“I know what I saw, Hunk.” The brunette deadpanned. “And I saw it smack him in the groin and not do a thing but make him a little breathless for five seconds. He even kept playing!”

“He was probably wearing a cup then,” Hunk assured him. “You know, protecting the _huevos_.”

“Well… Maybe he was.” That would explain a bit of it, but even then, it still had to hurt some.

Lance had been hit before between the legs while playing football with his brothers and wearing a cup, and he still couldn’t stand for ten minutes. To think Pidge could survive something like that without a mortal injury was no less than shocking.

* * *

After a few weeks of living together, Lance was becoming increasingly annoyed with his roommate for so many reason. The first and foremost reason was his late night work that woke Lance up on multiple occasions.

Other reasons included the following:

Pidge was messy. Really, _really_ messy. While he tended to keep the floor free of clothes, it was mostly trash. Chip bags and soda cans that were aimed for the trash and didn’t make it. Projects due to classes, including one that was a robot in progress. Pidge left so many screws and nails on the floor from his work that Lance was surprised one didn’t get shoved into his skin when he’d walk around with his shoes off.

His bed was always messed up, never made, and every now and again lance swore Pidge would be on one side of the bed when he went to sleep, but then on the other when he woke up.

How did he do that?

The trash was a big _no no_ on Lance’s part. While he didn’t consider himself the cleanest or most organized person on Earth, he prided himself on a clean room (His mom would have killed him for anything less). Living in such conditions was ridiculous, but Pidge argued against everything he ever said about it.

Pidge made an effort to at least put the trash in the trash can, and to also stop leaving his clothes on his bed. It wasn’t ever anything personal, just his school shirts, pants, and pajama’s, but there was one instance that taught Pidge that maybe he should have been cleaning up after himself.

When Lance found his underwear.

Pidge had gone to the bathroom to shower, leaving his pajamas on the bed. He thought Lance would have been out for hours with the way he talked about the movie he and Hunk planned to see, but he ended up back faster than he would have anticipated.

As such, when Lance got back, he was instantly irritated with the mess on Pidge’s bed again. They had _talked_ about this, but this kid just didn’t listen to him.

Lance was willing to bend to help Pidge when he needed to study or work on homework. He would put his headphones in to listen to music so Pidge could focus on homework and not listen to his music instead, but Pidge wouldn’t budge on anything Lance asked of him.

He was starting to reach his limit. He was fine bending so they could get along, but that meant that Pidge needed to be willing to do that too, and he wasn’t.

If he wasn’t, Lance was just going to have to be more forceful. That was the only thing he hadn’t tried yet, and nothing else seemed to work.

So Pidge shouldn’t have had a problem if he cleaned up after him. If he did, he should have cleaned up himself.

Lance gathered up the dirty clothes Pidge left on his bed, even going so far as to check between the wall and the bed, as well as under the blanket. Pidge was like a little pack rat or hoarder of sorts, always hiding stuff, so it came as no surprise when he found more clothes dangling over the side of his bed.

He stuffed each article of clothing away in his dirty laundry bag, huffing in irritation with each article. This was getting out of hand, but Pidge wasn’t breaking, and nothing that he did seemed to work, and-

Lance stopped when his hands picked up something small, white, and cotton, with the imprint of a little bear on the front.

Well.

This was something.

This was underwear.

 _His_ underwear? Pidge wore this kind of girly underwear?

Lance jumped in place when the sound of the bathroom door opened, spooking him into turning around. Pidge came out of the bathroom with nothing more than his towel wrapped around himself, his whole body and not just his waist. He was wiping behind his ear with a spare towel, looking quite satisfied until he saw Lance on his bed.

With his underwear in his hands.

“L-Lance!” Pidge scurried back into the bathroom, putting the door between them so he couldn’t see him.

“S-Sorry!” The brunette apologized, holding up his hands in defense. Pidge’s underwear dangled from his hand embarrassingly.

“I thought you said you were going to be at the movies!” Pidge exclaimed, this time hiding completely behind the door and not showing anything of himself. Not even his face.

“Well we were, but they ended sooner than we thought, so we just came back!” Lance explained, feeling his cheeks heat up with a blush.

He hadn’t _seen_ anything, but he saw enough. He saw plenty of Pidge’s pale shoulders, neck, and arms, so thin and scrawny without an ounce of meat to him. His tiny, thin legs, and his small figure underneath the towel. He hadn’t meant to even see that much, but it happened.

This couldn’t have been any more embarrassing.

“What are you doing on my bed?” Pidge’s voice broke off and cracked under the higher pressure he put on it.

“You left a mess all over your bed again! I was cleaning it!”

“Why are you touching my stuff?”

“Because you keep leaving a mess!”

Lance heard him say something under his breath, but he couldn’t make out what. He also couldn’t care for it either. He was annoyed that Pidge would get mad at him for touching his stuff when he had warned him to clean up his own mess.

“Just hand me my pajamas!” Pidge called out from behind the door. Lance felt like he was repeating the same things every single week, including the eye roll, the gruff sound of irritation, and the haphazard way he collected Pidge’s things to give to him.

He kept the underwear as a bribe.

Pidge changed quicker than he ever had before, bolting from the bathroom with a mix of anger and frustration. He looked ready to argue, and boy was Lance there.

They were in for a treat.

“Don’t touch my stuff again!” Pidge bit out, pacing to his bed to make it. Maybe it was something to do to occupy himself, because he normally never made it.

“Stop leaving a mess then!” Lance fought back, pointing to the trash pile by the trash can, his robot in the corner of their room with screws still on the floor, and his desk that had empty wrappers on it.

“It’s my room! I can do whatever I want!”

“It’s my room too, and I don’t want to live in a pig sty!” Lance exclaimed, his voice rising.

“I kept my mess to my part of the room like you said.”

“That’s evenly dispersed to every part of the room.”

“Why are you so bent out of shape over a small mess?”

“I’m tired of stepping on stuff at night!” Lance explained. “I’m tired of stepping on chip bags and having you get mad at me for waking you up, which, fun fact, is hypocritical with how often you do it to me-!”

The two of them stopped when their neighbor banged on the wall. Clearly their voices were getting too loud, but they were so mad that, had it not been for the students next door, they may not have quieted down.

And maybe Pidge wouldn’t have seen Lance _still_ holding his underwear.

“Hey, give me those!” Pidge gaped in horror, reaching for his underwear with quick hands. Thankfully Lance was faster.

“You have a weird taste in underwear.” Lance remarked as he held them above his head, still bitter from their argument.

“That’s none of your business!” Pidge jumped up to get them, but he was too short to reach, even when he jumped up.

“What? Are they more supportive than boxers?”

“Still none of your business!” Pidge bit out as he stuffed his underwear into the nightstand by his bunk.

Lance held his arms up in a defensive manner, but in a way that still showed his annoyance. Clearly there was no winning with this kid, but why did it have to be when he hadn’t done anything wrong?

“Fine,” He huffed, grabbing for his backpack and climbing up his ladder to his bed. He couldn’t even be down on the same level as him right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a big thanks to my awesome pal Hail (Hailqiqi) for giving me the awesome idea that Pidge gets hit between the legs. I needed one more idea for the chapter, and she had this fantastic idea. :) THANK YOU~


	6. Turn a Blind Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right! A regular update! It's happening! Gosh I hope I can keep it up. I'm all over the place with energy after my casting call today. Ugh, the nervous anxiety just needs to drain from my body.   
> Again, a very big thanks to Hail for helping me out with this chapter. Basically the whole fanfic, but yeah... Just... Yep. Dedication goes to her. *pointing to that lovely lady*  
> And look at that! A long chapter too! Yeeeeees.  
> So friends...  
> Let us begin...  
> -Misty

The only thing Lance could safely assume had been true out of all of the things Pidge had told him was that he had allergies. Really bad allergies. 

September was relatively cool. With it came a change in scenery as tree and flowers died off, leaving everything an array of autumn colors, and leaving Pidge a sniffling, sneezing mess. 

He’d woken up twice in the past two days to Pidge’s constant coughing and sneezing, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to wake up the next morning and find out he was sick. Not just the allergies, but completely, utterly sick.

A sniffy, stuffed up nose that was red and raw from an overuse of tissues. It was even dripping a bit, which must have been why a tissue was sticking out of one nostril. His eyes swollen and red, puffy to the point he could barely open them. His mouth was open to help him breathe, and he had a fever. Lance didn’t need to feel his forehead to figure that out. He was so flushed that it was obvious, along with the shivers that wracked his body. He was cold despite the heavy duvet on top of him. 

“Pidge... You okay?” Lance asked him, his hands still holding the ladder as he looked at him. The poor teen could barely look at him with the window behind his head, the light blinding his eyes. 

“I-I don’t feel so good...” He uttered while closing his eyes. Lance took the hint and shut the blinds, flooding the room into darkness so he could open his eyes. 

“Yeah, I can tell.” Lance went to his dresser to grab his clothes for the day, trying to stay quiet. 

Pidge would talk to him if he wanted to. He’d ask for help if he needed it. 

Lance was not the type of person to turn a blind eye, however. He wanted to help, because that was who he was, but the past two months had been really awkward and difficult between them. This wasn’t easy for him to do. 

Regardless, he went to the bathroom to change. He came out looking sluggish, but he was only going down for breakfast. He didn’t need to wear his school attire for that. 

Just before leaving, however, he stopped short halfway through the door. There was a tug at his heart, guilt eating at him as he looked back at the brunette lying in bed, shivering away. 

Lance really had made it clear to himself that he was going to stop talking to Pidge until he was ready, but he was sick. He couldn’t just ignore that.

“... Hey,” He spoke softly, stepping further into the room. “You want me to bring you back breakfast?”

Pidge looked up at him, the bags under his eyes enhanced by how swollen and puffy they were. He didn’t even look annoyed or irritated like he normally would; just sleep deprived if Lance were to name his expression. 

He couldn’t tell, but he thought he saw Pidge’s eyes glazed over with tears as well. 

“M-Mhm...” He hummed, his voice breaking off. 

Pidge looked so helpless when he was sick. Any resentment Lance had in his head for the past month and a half was gone the minute a single tear slid down his cheek. 

“Alright. I’ll bring you some food. Try to get some sleep, okay?”

Pidge nodded his head slowly, his eyes closing to follow his advice. It didn’t seem too hard to do while he was sick. 

* * *

“Morning Lance,” Hunk greeted him as he stood behind him in line. 

“Morning Hunk,” Lance replied with a yawn, covering his mouth to be polite. 

“You look tired. Didn’t sleep well?” 

“Nah. Pidge was up half the night coughing up his lungs, and now he’s sick.” The brunette explained, his eyes blinking slowly as he grabbed a tray. 

“He’s sick? It’s not contagious, is it?” He asked, taking a step back from the brunette. 

“I can’t tell if it is or if his allergies are just renegade really.” Lance told him. Hunk followed behind him at a distance, keeping the breakfast line moving. He grabbed at a tray, his eyes looking over today’s choices of food, but his mind was still focused on the conversation. “I know he’s a pain in the butt, but I feel bad for him.” Lance admitted as he pulled a small box of cereal onto his tray. After thinking about it, he grabbed another. 

“You have such a big heart, Lance.” Hunk admired. He already had his plate stocked with eggs and French toast sticks. “I think I would have taken the hint by now and left him alone.”

“And that’s what I’ve been doing, but you should have seen his face, Hunk. He looked so helpless.”

Helpless didn’t even begin to describe the expression on his face. He looked like something or someone who needed to be taken care of, and Lance wanted to take care of him. As much as he fought to be left alone and self-absorbent, he seemed like he had reached a breaking point. He looked too exhausted to put up a fight anymore, and while Lance should have left him alone, part of him still cared. 

Part of him also figured that this would show Pidge that no matter how much pushing he did, and no matter how much distance he put between them, Lance was going to be the bigger person and be there for him when he needed it. 

He also hoped this would be a way for Pidge to understand that he wasn’t going anywhere and eventually let him in. It wasn’t a solid plan, but it was something. 

“Maybe you should take him to the nurse’s office if it’s that bad.” Hunk suggested. Lance grabbed a plate of plain bread and some peanut butter. Something soft would be good for Pidge’s stomach. 

“If he doesn’t feel better around lunch then I will. I’m thinking that’s what we’ll have to do though. He’s not looking so hot.”

Lance took his tray now filled with food, as well as two cartons of milk, and went to pay for it. Hunk stayed close behind, checking out his last choices of food before moving on. 

“If it’s bad enough he has to miss classes, I’m sure he’ll be taking a trip.”

“Yeah...” Lance sighed as he stepped out of line. “I’m gonna take this to him and see if he can eat anything. I’ll see you in homeroom, okay?”

“Sure. See you later, man.”

With that and a short wave of his hand, Lance went back to his dorm.

* * *

Lance didn’t know why he knocked on his door when it was his room, but he was trying to make it a habit to knock, just in case Pidge had anymore surprise bathroom breaks at night he didn’t want to walk in on. 

There was no response, so Lance juggled the tray to open the door and walk in. 

Pidge was right where he had been, lying in bed, with the exception that he was asleep. Their room was still darkened by the drawn curtains, but Lance still found his nightstand and set the tray with their food on it down. He turned on the bedside lamp, barely sufficient light flooding the room, but it wasn’t enough to wake the smaller teen up. Lance set a hand down on his shoulder, giving it a small shake. 

“Pidge...” He whispered softly, taking in the heat from his body. It was a bit frightening to feel his fever through his shirt. “Hey Pidge. Wake up...”

The small brunette whimpered, his eyes barely opening, only to shut again when the light became too unbearable. Even if the room was dark, it was too much for his sensitive eyes. 

“I brought you some food. I want you to try and eat something.” Lance told him, tugging lightly on the covers. Pidge shivered as he pulled them back, exposing his shoulders, arms, and chest, all hidden away by his sweat soaked shirt. It was a mess, but Lance knew he’d have to get up eventually. “Come on, Pidge...”

Physical contact had been kept down to a mere handshake for the two of them, so it seemed so odd to touch him as Lance pushed his arm under his head, trying to get him in a sitting position. The brunette whimpered again, straining against his arm, but Lance kept pushing until Pidge was pulled against his chest, barely sitting up. 

“Wanna try the bread first? Something soft might help...” Lance suggested. Pidge lightly nodded his head, his fingers shaking as they clung to his shirt. 

Lance had never seen this side of him before. It was so small and frail. So tiny and weak, and it was kind of off-putting. He wasn’t used to this side of Pidge. He liked the more standoffish behavior he normally kept up. 

Well, he didn’t like it per se, but he was used to it. This horrible sick side of him was worrisome, and Lance was beginning to think that maybe lunch would have to wait. He needed to go to the nurse now to get some medicine, before this got any worse. 

“Hey Pidge, I’m gonna take you to the nurse, okay?” Lance told him, but the words didn’t seem to make sense to the sick teen. He was too busy trying to barely nibble on the crust of the bread, and halfway through a bite did he stop to let exhaustion take over his tired senses. “You okay to go to the nurse?”

“... Mhm...”

Lance felt like that was a really sleep deprived answer, but it was an answer all the same. So Lance let him lay back into his bed again before heading over to his dresser and grabbing a clean shirt from it. He came back only a moment later, looking down at the smaller brunette and sighing when he realized he had fallen back asleep. He wanted to let him sleep through this, but his fever was bad, and he needed to see the nurse before it got worse. 

“Come on, Pidge. Get up,” Lance tucked an arm under his head, trying to get him into a sitting position again. “I’ve got a clean shirt for you. Come on.”

“No,” The broken tone of Pidge’s voice was upsetting to hear, but he knew what needed to be done. 

“Yes,” He argued as he brought him against his chest. Pidge settled easily against him, finding it comfortable to be against someone so warm while he felt like everything around him was so cold. He wasn’t going to like changing very much, but he had to. “I’m going to help you get dressed, okay?”

From the very meager hum of a response Lance figure he was dozing off again, and maybe that was for the better. He could do it himself and help him to the nurse quicker rather than fight with him about going. For once he had leverage on the teen, which _again_ was worrisome. He didn’t like this weak person Pidge could be when he was sick. 

Lance brought the blanket to Pidge’s lap, covering him while he undid the first few buttons of his soaked shirt. He could see sweat glistening on his collar bone and his chest the more he revealed, and expected much the same when he got to the forth button, but he didn’t see that.

There was a fabric under his shirt, bandages when Lance looked closely. Curiosity piqued at the thought that Pidge had possibly gotten hurt, but after popping two more buttons to confirm this, he realized that this wasn’t the case.

Pidge wasn’t hurt. The bandages around his chest wasn’t doing anything but restricting his breathing, and something else.

Lance kind of thought that maybe what he was seeing was wrong, but the longer he stared, the more things seemed to make sense, and the more the puzzle pieces that was Pidge fell into place.

The bandages were restricting _her_ breathing.

Pidge was a girl.

_She_ was a _girl_.

_Holy crap._

It felt like someone had just splashed cold water into Lance’s face, shocking him out of his oblivious stupor.

His- _Her_ standoffish behavior. Always snapping at him when he so much as didn’t knock. The floral pencil case Pidge always had. The tampons. Her underwear. Going through her stuff and her fearing what he’d find. Getting hit between the legs by a ball and not being mortally wounded. Not wanting to go to the nurse, because Pidge couldn’t go to the nurse.

The nurse would have found out somehow. He would have found out that Pidge, the kid who told Lance nothing about himself and kept him at a distance, was a girl in an all-boys school.

Was this why he- _she_ didn’t want to make friends? Was this why she kept at a distance? In a certain perspective, Lance kind of understood why that would be a thing, but that left the big question still on his mind.

What was she doing in an all-boy’s school in the first place?

* * *

Pidge woke up feeling better than she had earlier, but still feeling like she was ready to die. Her nose was so stuffed up that she couldn’t breathe, her eyes burned with tears at the brightness of the desk lamp lighting up the room. The shivers she had felt earlier were gone, but now she just felt hot. Hot, sweaty, gross, and in desperate need of a shower.

She forced her eyes open despite the blinding light, letting them adjust until it wasn’t so hard to look around the room.

She was alone. The room was eerily quiet, and so was the rest of the school. Judging by the lack of light coming in through the curtains, she could safely come to the conclusion that it was late, or at the very least night time. This was also supported when she didn’t hear obnoxious music playing from their next door neighbors or the chatter from outside in the halls.

That meant she missed an entire day of school by sleeping through it all, but hadn’t something happened?

Pidge vaguely remembered Lance. He’d talked to her. He had said something, but what was it?

Breakfast. Right. He offered to get her breakfast, and she remembered very briefly thinking how a guy like himself could possibly offer kindness to her after pushing him away so much.

Hunk was right. He was just that kind of guy.

That seemed to be all her mind could conjure up, however. The rest of the day was a blur. A dreamless state. She slept through it all, and yet there was something nagging at her. Some piece of information or memory missing that seemed too important to forget, but what was it?

She was still too tired to care, but she remembered Lance.

Speaking of which, where was he?

Despite being so sleepy and exhausted, Pidge forced herself up onto her shaking hands. The room dipped and spun for a moment before stilling, allowing herself a moment to relax and stop her vision from blurring before looking around.

Lance didn’t seem to be here, and she didn’t hear anything from the top bunk. His backpack was here though, so was he at dinner?

Her internal struggle was put on hold as she forced herself to sit up, her eyes looking to her nightstand. On it was a lunch tray with a bowl of soup and a water bottle. When it had gotten there she wasn’t sure, but it must have been there for a while. The chicken noodles looked soggy, and the soup wasn’t hot when she reached for the bowl.

Her eyes sluggishly trailed to her shirt. It was still damp from sweating so much, sticking to her skin in an uncomfortable way. She could feel it everywhere, especially under her bandages. It was gross how built up it felt, and for a minute she wondered if she had time to stumble out of bed and take a shower before her eyes fell to the buttons of her shirt.

The _open_ buttons of her shirt.

The ace wrap usually bound tightly around her chest loosened and visible for anyone and everyone to see.

Pidge gasped as she brought her blanket up to her chest, covering herself instead of buttoning her shirt back up. Her eyes frantically searched about the room, as if the empty space would have answers for her, but it didn’t. Now she had a bigger problem on her hands, starting out with the first initial problem.

Where was Lance?

Her internal question was answered when she heard the running water from the sink in the bathroom. Her heart pounded herd enough to make blood rush to her already flushed cheeks, her hands tightening around her blanket at the thought that he was in there.

Had he seen it? Had he seen her chest? Did he know that she was actually a girl?

Her ace wrap had been tight this morning. There was no reason and no way it could have loosened itself unless it had been unclipped, but it hadn’t. The clip was still right in the front where she normally put it. It had just been loosened enough for her to take a deep breath and not feel a strain against her lungs.

Her body was shaking again, but it wasn’t from a fever or because she was cold.

She was horrified, and the feeling intensified as Lance stepped out of the bathroom, shutting the light off to keep the room in a dim glow from his desk lamp.

He didn’t notice her right away. Not until he looked up from the floor, his hands having been wiping against his pants and stopping at the sight of her sitting up fully, looking at him with mortification written across her red and slightly swollen face.

“Hey,” He greeted, and the tone of his voice was not like any of his usual greetings. Even when Lance was annoyed with her, he always managed to retain a chipper, upbeat mood about the way he spoke. Now, however, he sounded bored, or dare she think, disheartened.

“H-Hi Lance…” She greeted, her fingers a white-knuckled grip on her blanket. “Uhm… Good morning.”

Lance snickered in an unusual way. In a _cold_ way.

“You mean night.” He said, his thumb pointing to their covered up window.

“Oh… Yeah…” She looked away, feeling weight sitting heavy on her shoulders from the pressure around her. She couldn’t keep looking at him without fearing that he knew her secret. “Uh… Yeah.”

What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? How did she ask him if he knew she was a girl without exposing herself and her secret to him? Did she even want to know?

It was unlike Lance to seem so distant, and his behavior was off. It wasn’t like him to be this quiet and not try to strike up a conversation with her, which must have meant something.

He knew, didn’t he?

“Uhm…” Words were becoming increasingly difficult to express. “How uhm… What happened today?”

“Well, you were really sick.” Lance began, slowly making his way to her bed. “I was afraid you needed to go to the nurse with how bad you were, but I had some cold medicine from my mom still and gave you some of that.”

Wait, when had he done that? She didn’t remember that ever happening. She had been really out of it not to remember him giving her medicine.

Pidge fidgeted in place, her eyes blinking back tears, but she couldn’t tell if that was from how swollen her eyes were or if she was really ready to cry.

“Really…?” Her voice sounded so scratchy to her ears. So broken and open, like all of her lies were spilling out. “I don’t remember that…”

“You were really out of it. I’d be surprised if you did.” Lance explained. Pidge took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

“So you missed class to take care of me?” She asked, and was answered with a nod.

Honestly, Lance was too sweet for her horrible behavior this past month and a half. To go so far as to take care of the girl who snapped at him for every little thing, keeping him at and arm’s length, and treating him like dirt basically, really spoke of how kind and sweet of a guy he really was.

That kind of behavior deserved praise. A lot of it. So much that he would do his usual gloating and flaunting over how great he was, because he deserved it. It wasn’t fair of her to treat him like this to keep her secret safe. Even if and when her goals were more important to her than anything, that didn’t excuse her own actions.

She shouldn’t have been putting him down for this, especially this. He deserved a thank you at the very least.

“Lance… That’s really sweet of yo-”

“Pidge.” He stopped her with a blunt tone and narrowed his eyes on her, and never before, even when she had irritated him to no end, had he looked like this.

He was mad. He was angry. He looked visibly repulsed in some manner by the way his eyes narrowed at her and only her, like a clear goal was in mind. Like he had everything that he wanted to say planned out in his head, and she wasn’t going to like any of it.

Whatever he had to say was not in her favor, and almost unconsciously did Pidge pull the covers up to her collar bone.

“Uhm… Yeah?”

“What are you doing here?” He asked her, and Pidge felt like, despite the space between them, he was uncomfortably close.

“I-I was laying here and-”

“No,” Lance intentionally scooted closer, his eyes peering down at her. Pidge felt like she was back in elementary school again, ready to crawl into her bed and hide forever at the idea of having to face her entire class of bullies. “What are you doing in an all-boys school?”

Pidge’s entire body froze up, the air in her clogged up lungs turning cold.

He knew.

She swallowed hard, trying to find her words, an excuse, or something to say to turn this around, but her thoughts were running rampant. She couldn’t pinpoint a single thought to even focus on besides the obvious, and that was that she had been caught.

She knew not speaking and sitting here was only sinking her further into a figurative grave, but she couldn’t figure out what to say or what to do. She couldn’t even look him in the eyes at this point, because it would only give him more leverage on his findings.

She was a girl playing as a boy in an all-boys school. Living as a boy with other boys and lying to not only him, but to everyone.

Something told her he was more offended that she lied to _him_ than the fact that she was actually a girl.

“Well?” His tone was annoyed, irritated with a bite of anger. Her head ducked lower.

“I-I can explain…” She muttered, thinking that maybe there was a way she could argue herself out of this situation. Judging by the expression on his face that she could barely look at, it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Oh, I’d love to hear it.” Lance said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’d love to hear what a girl is doing here. Please, Pidge, do explain. Or is that even your real name?”

“M-My name is Katie Holt.” She said, shaking at the admission.

“Holy crow!” Lance exclaimed as he jumped up from the bed. “I was kidding about that! Your name isn’t even Pidge Gunderson?”

“I didn’t have a choice!” She didn’t stand up quite as fast, because her body couldn’t, but she managed to unravel herself from the blanket, simultaneously buttoning up her shirt to hide herself.

“What? Was the all-girls school down the street full?” Lance replied sarcastically, his arms tossing at his side.

“No, Lance! It’s not like that!”

“Then what’s it like, Pidge? Or, er, Katie?”

“Lance, quiet down!” She warned him. She didn’t need someone else hearing this argument and knowing about her.

“Don’t tell me to quiet down!” He snapped. He was past the point of rational thought, and she could tell, but she needed him to stop yelling.

“Please, Lance, let me explain…” She spoke softer and calmer in hopes that Lance would follow in her example.

Even when he looked like he still had a lot of yelling to do, Lance sighed, turning away with his arms crossing over his chest again.

He looked ready to throw in the towel. He looked like he was done with her, and the thought alone was horrifying. There was something deep down inside of her that really didn’t like how angry Lance was, because an angry Lance wasn’t the guy who was always trying to be her friend. An angry Lance meant that he wasn’t interested in being friendly towards her anymore, and while she knew she deserved it after all that she had done to him, she didn’t like it.

Did this mean that he was done trying to be her friend? Did this mean that he was done being nice to her?

The idea had her fighting back tears.

“You gonna explain or what?” Lance asserted, not looking directly at her.

“Y-Yeah, uh…” Pidge slowly made her way to her desk where her laptop still sat, closed and covered in a clutter of homework assignments and garbage. She cleared the way to open it and let it start up, showing the lock screen. She was quick to type her password in and start it up, opening up to where she had left off before going to bed last night. Halfway through looking through her files, however, she stopped to look over her shoulder at Lance. The teen was sitting on the floor, shucking on his shoes quickly, barely tying them in something that wasn’t a regular knot, because his fingers were moving too fast. “What are you doing?”

“Getting ready to go to Iverson. What else?” He replied gruffly.

“No, Lance! You can’t!”

Despite the room still lightly spinning around her, Pidge managed to run up to him and catch his arm as he stood.

“Why not?” He retaliated. Pidge didn’t let go of his arm, fearing he’d leave the room the second she did. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t report you to Iverson right now!”

“I can give you plenty of reasons! Just let me show you!” She tugged hard on his arm, pulling him back to her desk to open up the files she had kept saved and hidden in a locked file for a long time now. She pulled up the first thing, some video footage of something that came from a year ago.

A video of a mission to Kerberos.

“Do you remember this?” Pidge asked him, pointing to the screen. Lance looked down at her laptop, watching the footage of the launch, the pictures of three people popping up on the screen.

“Yeah, that’s the news cast from when the ship launched to Kerberos.” Lance replied, looking skeptical.

“These two right here,” She pointed to the screen at the photos of two people, both of which shared a resemblance to her. The one in the middle, however, looked more like her than the other. “Sam Holt is my father, and Matt Holt is my brother.” She told him.

Well, that explained the resemblance. That also reminded the brunette of the time Pidge spoke of her brother, and how happy she got talking about him.

“Wait. _Sam Holt_ is your dad? You’re _that_ Holt?”

“Yeah, he’s my dad.” She assured him. “You remember what happened a year ago, right?”

“Uh, sort of.” Not in complete detail, that is. “Your dad, brother, and Takashi Shirogane destroyed samples from the moon. They were fired.”

“That’s not true!” She asserted, taking him by surprise.

“What are you talking ab-“

“It was a lie! My brother and father would never do that!” Her fist nearly slammed into the desk beside her laptop, and it probably would have had it not been for a metal plate with screws in it laying there.

“Pidge… They had security footage that had a time stamp of all three of them in the lab.” He reminded her. “They also had Sam’s card swiped at the lab at the same time the samples were destroyed.”

“It was doctored! I can prove it!” She exclaimed. “There were splices in the footage. Ones that the regular public wouldn’t notice, but I did! Plus dad leaves his key card in his locker before he leaves work, so anyone could have taken it!”

“Okay, but what happened to the samples from the moon then?”

“The government destroyed them to get rid of the three of them, probably. My dad was the head of communications office with Shiro as his right hand man. Government officials had sent down a proposal for higher military tech to be created by the Garrison’s labs, but he declined it, because the scientists there don’t make weapons, just new tech to help their missions in space. They got mad. I remember dad saying that they tried to have him and Shiro removed room the office, but they didn’t have enough ground to do it. So they made some sort of stupid government cover up to get them fired!”

The way that Pidge spoke was no less than passionate. The way her eyes flared with a tired glint of determination, and the way her body tensed at each word she spat out in anger. The way her words began to choke up as frustration overtook her, and the way she grabbed at her shirt by her shoulder, as if reaching for something that used to be there, but wasn’t.

“So if that’s true, then why are you trying to get justice for this? Why not send this evidence to the police or something?”

“For it to be covered up? Who’s going to believe a fifteen year old anyway?” She scoffed as she looked away.

“You’re fifteen?” He gaped at her. He had always put her at seventeen considering she was in his grade, but _fifteen_?

“Listen, what they did ruined my brother and fathers career.” She spoke with venom in her tone. Venom and hatred towards the people that had wronged her family. “My brother is a waiter now and my dad can’t get any sort of employment. They’re the laughing stock of the country because of them, and I need to prove them innocent myself. I’m the only one who can, but I need some sort of solid evidence. Something that can officially clear their names.”

“But wait, why here? Why not go to the labs?”

“I tried that, and I got caught.” She explained. “Iverson let me off the hook with a warning to have me arrested if I did it again, so I had to come to the next best place. Iverson has an office here with a computer linked up to the labs, where he keeps all of his files saved, but I can’t just walk in here as the only girl in the school. People would get suspicious. So I had no choice but to do this.”

Pidge gestured down to herself, as if making a point that her boyish appearance wasn’t the norm for her. That everything, from her clothes to her behavior, wasn’t the same as it had once been.

Everything seemed to make sense to him now. Why she was here in an all-boys school, posing as a boy and hiding her identity from the world. If what she said was true about her brother and father, then she was probably receiving some backlash from people for being a Holt.

She probably had a few fingers pointed at her for no reason other than her last name.

“That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m doing this, and I can’t get caught.” Pidge grabbed at his shirt sleeve, yanking on it gently. “If I’m caught here, they’re going to have me arrested!”

“I don’t think they’d go that far. How much of this is actually a lie anyway?” He asked her.

“Everything from my scholarships to my actual identity.” Okay, that had more grounds for a serious punishment. She would definitely be arrested if she was found out. “And if I’m caught, I can’t clear my dad and my brother. I wouldn’t even be able to clear Shiro! It’s hard enough that my family is falling apart, but I can’t fail this! I have to do this, Lance! I don’t have any other choice!”

It really sounded like she didn’t. Why was this fifteen year old (and he was still having a hard time believing that) taking all of this burden on herself? Had everything really fallen apart that much because of this?

That was a stupid question, and he knew it. She wouldn’t have done this otherwise. She wouldn’t be here posing as a boy for anything less than getting the justice she felt her family deserved.

If Pidge was caught, her own life would be ruined. What she did was far worse than something as petty as cheating on a test. What she did was break the law by faking her identity, forging scholarships and information about herself to get into this school, and overall stealing files from the government by means of hacking in the system’s computers.

She wasn’t taking someone’s things. She was fighting a war that sounded impossible to beat, but she was doing it, and if she was caught, it’d be all over.

The choice fell to him. Was he going to ignore her entire story and go to Iverson, the guy who caught her once already and let her go with a warning, and ultimately ruin her life? Or was he going to help her keep her identity a secret and take on a battle he didn’t belong in?

Surely, he didn’t belong in it. She had absolutely no right to bring him into this. He didn’t deserve to have this secret over his head, lying to everyone, including his own friends, to keep her safe. She must have known that, but she had dug herself into a grave. She had no choice at this point. Either he got involved, or he didn’t.

“Please, Lance…” She pleaded with him, her hands tightening around his shirt sleeve. “Please, I had no other choice. I had to help my family…”

She no longer sounded as weak as she had earlier when her fever had reduced her to a delusional, sleep deprived teen. She just sounded desperate, and who wouldn’t be in this situation?

If he chose to expose her, the penalty would be huge. She wasn’t too young for an actual jail, but maybe they would go easy on her and send her to juvenile detention instead?

No, they wouldn’t do that. She was too old for that, and they both knew it. She’d be sentenced to prison time, and he couldn’t even imagine how long that’d be for her.

She was fifteen, and all she was trying to do was help clear her family’s name. She was trying to get her father and brother’s jobs back, and even the infamous Takashi Shirogane would benefit from it. She’d be saving them and exposing a scandal far bigger than anyone could imagine.

_If_ he didn’t expose her secret to the world, that is.

“Please… Please help me…” She begged, her eyes red and watering. If she cried again, he didn’t think he could handle it. He didn’t have it in him to see tears stain her face again, because that hurt too much just to see once.

So Lance did the only thing that made sense to him.

He pulled his arm from her grasp, making her gasp lightly. He walked away and to his dresser, looking around for a clean shirt. Meanwhile, Pidge stood frozen in place, her hands coming up so she could twist her fingers together with anxiousness.

She didn’t know what this meant for her, and she was horrified.

“Here,” Lance said, catching her off guard when he tossed a shirt to her. Pidge caught it haphazardly, blinking back tears as she looked up into his blue eyes for the first time that day. “Put this on.”

Pidge stood still for a moment longer before turning around to do as he asked, silently questioning what his intentions were. Lance in-turn looked away, giving her the privacy she needed to put on his shirt.

When she finished, she cleared her throat, her hands ringing out the material of her damp pajama shirt between her fingers. Lance looked back at her with narrowed eyes, as if he were scrutinizing her in some way. Pidge had never felt more open in front of someone than she did right now.

“… That should work.” Lance finally spoke up, his hands falling to his hips.

“W-What should work?” She asked hesitantly, fearing his answer.

“Wearing ace wrap around your chest is horrible for your body. If you wear a bigger shirt like this, it should hide your chest well enough so you won’t need to wear it.” He explained, looking away to shut his dresser drawer.

“What…?”

Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

Lance sighed as his hands slowly slipped away from his dresser.

“I think… If it were my family, I’d do anything to help them too.” He said softly, a small smile gracing his lips.

Pidge let out a breath she wasn’t aware she had been holding, visibly shaking in place from so many emotions. She couldn’t even figure out what all she was feeling, but she knew she was relieved. Relieved to know that Lance understood her and her fight, and not only letting her continue, but now protecting her secret from the rest of the world.

This also meant that he was putting himself at risk. Lance could get into so much trouble if he was caught protecting her, facing being expelled from the school and so much worse. If he were caught, she couldn’t imagine what he’d have to go through to live the remainder of his life.

She couldn’t even begin to explain how thankful she was, and felt even more like there was nothing she could ever do that could make up for what he was doing for her.

She may have never been able to repay him for what he was doing, but she would figure out something later on. Down the road when she wasn’t shaking or overly emotional and sick at the same time.

“Thank you,” She breathed, pacing to him and wrapping her arms around his chest. Lance gasped softly at the quick motion, looking down at the smaller brunette with wide eyes.

Earlier had been because she was sick. That was the first time he’d ever really gotten the chance to touch her, but now she was completely (and lucidly) allowing it, reciprocating it, and showing more emotion to him than she had in the whole time they’d lived together.

He wasn’t used to this, but it was liberating in a way, like a breath of fresh air. He could get used to this.

“T-Thank you, Lance! Thank you so much…” His voice- No, _hers_ (Maybe it was better if Lance didn’t get into the habit of calling her by female pronouns so he didn’t slip up in front of the wrong people) was muffled by his shirt, but he felt her tears soaking through the material. He smiled gently, his hands wrapping around her and keeping her close.

“No problem, Pidge…” He said, feeling her hair tickle his chin and the heat of her fever against his body. He thought about it for a moment before adding on with a chuckle. “Katie,” He squeezed a little at her sides, feeling overjoyed when she smiled and even giggled.

This was nice. He didn’t think their first hug would go like this (actually he thought he’d get a bro hug from her before anything else), but this was nice. Better even, and also embarrassing.

He’d been living with a girl this whole time, and now everything she had ever done made sense. Everything came together to slap him across the face and ask what was wrong with him for taking so long to figure it out. Really, she had been too open about her identity in the first place, so how he didn’t see it or pick up on the small clues confused him.

There was also a sense of mortification at the realization at all he had done in front of her, such as walking out of the bathroom after a shower with only a towel around his waist, or openly scratching at himself between his legs in front of her.

Holy crow. The things she must have thought seeing stuff like that.

“U-Uh…” He uttered before pulling away, his cheeks flushing with color. The only girls he had ever hugged were his mother and his sisters. This was on a whole new level of awkwardness he wasn’t used to.

What would his mother think if he told her he was living with a girl?

“Oh, s-sorry,” Lance couldn’t tell if she was blushing or if that was her fever painting her cheeks a pretty, red hue, but he ignored it and rubbed at the back of his neck.

“No, it’s cool. You’re cool.” He told her, looking everywhere but at her.

“Right, well… Thank you again, Lance. This means so much to me.” Her voice was so honest and kind behind the inflection in her lungs, her eyes still red, but it was hard to tell from what.

“Like I said. I’d do anything for my family. I think it’s pretty admirable what you’re doing, so…”

Lance didn’t think he’d ever felt this awkward in his whole life. Well, there was his first dream with a girl who had a big chest, but that was different.

He was living with a girl now. Or rather, he always had been, but now there was no reason for Pidge to hide the fact she was a girl, so the idea was out in the open around him now.

Lord help him if his mother found out he was living with a girl.


	7. Secrets Hidden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I wanted to say thanks for the comments last chapter! I didn't get to all of them right away, but I got to a few, and I want you to know I read all of them and appreciate all of them, as well as the input on them. ^^ I forced myself to work on this today, because I really wanted to keep the updates flowing now that we've gotten down to the bigger picture, but I start part time work again tomorrow (weeee) while also focusing on my other jobs, as well as a project for a Bang, so I hope to keep it going. On top of that, I've been doing a lot of preview drawings for Scattered Remains, which will be Among The Dust's continuation. You're more than welcome to take a peek of the pictures on my tumblr. ;)  
> Thanks for being so awesome and patient, guys! I'll keep working hard on this!  
> -Misty

Living with a girl was proving more difficult than Lance could have imagined. Sure, he had sisters, and sure, he’d been living with _this_ girl for two months now, but he had never been mindful of it on either occasion. His sisters were his sisters, and that was easy.

Living with sisters was different, because they were family. He could talk about whatever he wanted, do whatever he wanted (To a certain degree, and only suitable under his mother’s rules) around them, and it was all good. He didn’t have to worry. There was no concerns about knocking on doors or catching them playing with dolls or listening to them talk about their recent crushes, but all of that had been the norm for him.

This was not the norm.

It felt suddenly like he was treading thin ice twenty-four seven. The tension between them hadn’t necessarily dissipated, because what Pidge had done had left behind a bitter taste in Lance’s mouth. Her attitude towards him for the month in a half he thought she was a guy had left him sour, but he now had a reason behind it, and better understood her actions. He understood why she was so standoffish, and made it a point to leave all of what happened in the past. She had later apologized for it, and that was enough.

That didn’t mean there wasn’t tension, but it wasn’t for the same reasons there had been before.

It was waking up in the morning, rushing for school that he needed to remember to knock on the bathroom door before going in. He’d stop, look back at her bed to see it empty, and then knock. It would usually be followed by a timid _one moment_ before Pidge would step out, looking completely exhausted, but otherwise a bit embarrassed. It was odd for her too.

The certain days she did shower, Lance would stay on his bunk with his back turned away from the door. She always got dressed in the bathroom and never came out until she was concealed, but there was still that bit of privacy he wanted to give her to make things remotely comfortable for the both of them.

Lance also learned that, while it was a neat hack, shoving a tampon up his nose was both inappropriate and unacceptable due to the crazy price one would have to pay to get them. Once again, _ridiculous_ , and he didn’t take them again, or bother bringing it up for fear of her reaction.

This also meant that he needed to keep himself in check. If she wasn’t in the room, either out doing whatever she did or taking a shower, Lance gave himself a moment to scratch between his legs, burp loudly, or anything he considered rude in front of a young lady. He would flush just thinking about what all he did in front of her, and that made his heart race.

Sure, she didn’t take much of it into poor taste, but Lance did. His mother had raised him to be polite and conscious when woman were around him. That’s just how he was, ignoring the countless times he flirted, because he never pushed a girl’s limits. He’d be locked in his room for a year if his mother found out any of this, and that was why he was always on his best behavior.

It could have been better, but it could have been worse. _Way worse._ There was just one thing that really made the situation hard to manage.

Not telling Hunk.

Hunk was his best friend. Hunk was the guy Lance told everything to. They never kept secrets from one another, and most of the time, when available, were there the second one of them needed something. Yes, that meant that Hunk followed Lance to the slaughter house and set all of the cows free last summer, but that was just because he was such an awesome friend. Then he took the punishment he didn’t deserve when the cops were called on them, because Hunk was that awesome friend that everyone in their life needed.

Not telling him this was hard. Really, _really_ hard. It was like he was keeping up a front, which he was, but it was detrimental to Pidge. It was important to keep it a secret for her sake.

Truthfully, Lance didn’t think Hunk would do anything with the information. He’d be shocked, sure, but he wasn’t the type to blab. If it was as serious as it was, and it was serious, then he’d help keep it a secret. He’d probably even help Pidge get what she needed from the systems here. That’s just how good of a guy he was.

It hurt not being able to tell him everything. It hurt not being the one to be honest and open in their friendship, holding back something that was so important, but it had to be done. Maybe, if Pidge was willing, she’d be okay telling Hunk about this later on. Somewhere along the way she’d be fine telling him the truth, and he’d be okay and keep it a secret. It was one less person to worry about for her, and more verification that she was safe in an all-boys school.

Hopefully.

There was so much riding on this right now. So much so that it didn’t surprise Lance anymore when he heard small sniffles from the bunk below him, or see Pidge stay up at all hours of the night doing research on her computer. He no longer stopped her, and simply tucked his headphones in his ears to let her work.

He didn’t know much about Pidge. Not much of anything besides the situation she was in. She still kept to herself, even though they were on better terms now. He didn’t know her favorite color, or her favorite song. He didn’t even know if she liked music to begin with.

He knew nothing about her, which kept them at arm’s length, and yet there was that curiosity that made him want to know more. He wanted to get to know her, so maybe that she could fully trust him.

So that maybe she’d ask for him to stay awake with her at night when she was upset. So that maybe they could share stories, and she could laugh at some of the horrible ones he’d tell and make her feel better. So that maybe she could open up, and they could be on better terms. Maybe even as close as he and Hunk were. Maybe even more-

Wait.

Wait. Wait.

_Lance, what are you thinking?_

* * *

“You look like you got hit by a bus…” Hunk commented, watching as Lance sluggishly trudged to the table, his tray in hand and head hung to the point his chin nearly touched his chest.

“Thanks, you look great too.” Lance retorted, taking in a deep breath and letting it out as he sat across the table from him.

“Uh oh, what happened?” Hunk asked, seeming to pick up on what made Lance stressed as of late. The only thing that seemed to do that was Pidge, because it was too early in the year for grades to be falling, and as far as he knew, he didn’t have any problems with any friends.

Unless this was a girl problem, which was possible.

“Ugh, not much,” The brunette groaned as he leaned his weight into one hand, the other poking at his eggs.

“Come on, Lance. I know that look.” Hunk said, pointing his spoon at him. “That’s that _I’ve got a million problems right now_ look, and you only look like this when it’s serious.” Leaning back, the teen dug his spoon into his cereal, scooping up some of it to eat. “Is it Pidge again?”

“Uhm… Sort of.” Lance muttered, looking away. He hadn’t mentioned Pidge for a week now, and while he’d been good about keeping the subject off of him, he knew sooner or later that Hunk was going to wonder what was going on with the problem that had been Lance’s life for two months.

“Sort of?” A thick eyebrow lifted with curiosity. “Is he just flat out pretending you aren’t there anymore?”

“No, that’s not it.” Lance said, his fingers pulling through the fine hairs at the back of his neck. “Pidge and I have been doing well actually.”

“Really?” Hunk’s expression lightened up. “So you finally made him your friend?”

“Well no. We’re still on thin ice, but it’s getting better.” He assured him, finally taking a bite of his cooling eggs. “It’s going in the direction I was hoping for.

“But hey, you’re making progress!” The bigger teen told him, trying to brighten up the mood. “Did he finally come to you? Or did he just finally warm up?”

“Kind of like what you said, but… I kind of blew up at him first. I lost my temper, but… You know, he apologized, and we’ve been working on getting along better.”

There wasn’t a lot Lance could tell him without blurting out the truth. There was so much he was keeping from him, but he had to. It was enough that Lance knew, effectively putting himself and his future at risk. He couldn’t do that to Hunk.

He had to protect Pidge’s secret, and ultimately protect Hunk by keeping it all quiet.

“That’s great, Lance.” Hunk beamed with happiness. “You finally have your year going strong.”

“Yeah…” He sighed. Hunk chewed at his cereal for a moment, looking at the expression on his face and taking in the perturbed look.

“So why aren’t you happy?” He asked after swallowing.

“Huh?”

“Why aren’t you happy about that?” He repeated, looking at him. “This has been what you’ve wanted since you two moved into your dorm, so what’s the problem?”

“No problem.” Lance blinked slowly, trying to school his facial expression into something more amicable. He didn’t need Hunk catching onto him. “I just didn’t sleep a lot last night, so I’m exhausted. Plus Iverson is having our gym teacher make us do a mile run today, so I’m all sorts of tired for that.”

“You sure? You look like that’s not all of it.”

Hunk read people too easily, but it didn’t help when Lance wore his emotions on his sleeves. There were two problems here, and it seemed that Hunk was both of them at the moment.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Lance gave him a small, seemingly tired smile to try and convince him, and that seemed to be enough.

The great thing about Hunk was that he didn’t push and pry into people’s lives. He knew how to step back, and while he clearly didn’t believe Lance in the least bit, he knew that there was something he didn’t want to talk about, and that was fine. More than fine, actually, because that made keeping him out of this so much easier. It made the guilt he had hanging over his head just a little bit more bearable.

“Alright,” Hunk muttered, taking a break from his food to drink out of his milk carton. “Well then a change of subject. You ready for the test today?”

“What test?” Lance asked, his head lifting and his heart dropping into his chest.

“Our physics test?” Hunk questioned, and Lance blanched in horror. “I take it by that expression on your face that no, you aren’t ready.”

“Crap! I forgot!” Lance tossed his hands up, a piece of his eggs flying back at an empty table. “Oh man, I didn’t study!”

“What are you going to do?” Hunk asked, though he already knew that answer.

“I’m gonna fail!”

“Well you’ve got until fifth period. You can study up until then.”

“It’s chapter two, right?”

“Yeah, two point five.”

“Ugh,” Lance groaned, dropping his head to the table with an audibly loud bang. “I’m going to fail and my mom is going to be so mad. Do you think she’s going to bury me or cremate me?”

“It’s one test, Lance. Don’t worry about it.” Hunk assured him. “Besides, you’ve been reading over the chapters as you go through class, so it’s all good. You’ve got this.”

“Hey…”

The two of them looked away from one another and their food, Lance turning to look over his shoulder and seeing Pidge standing behind him, a tray in her hands, looking as disheveled as he felt.

“Good morning, Pidge.” Hunk greeted with a smile and a wave of his hand.

“Morning,” Pidge replied, her eyes adverting to the floor for just a moment before looking to Lance. “Uhm… Do you guys mind if I join you?”

Lance blinked back his surprise, trying not to seem as shocked by her question as he was. He didn’t want to come across as rude or insensitive, but how could he not? Pidge hadn’t had one lunch with them since she started the year with them. As a matter of fact, they had never seen her in the cafeteria other than to get her food, and then she’d disappear. Where she went they weren’t sure, but this was a first.

An unsettling first.

“Not at all,” Hunk beamed, motioning towards himself and Lance. “It’s not like it’s a full table, right, Lance?”

“Nah, go right ahead.” Lance motioned to the open spots next to him before turning in his seat, very quickly and briefly exchanging a glance with the bigger teen. Hunk’s eyebrows raised the slightest bit, a knowledgeable glance before he went back to eating his food.

“Thanks,” Pidge’s voice was still small as she took a seat to Lance’s left, setting her tray down that consisted of French toast sticks, syrup, and a carton of milk. Not much for someone who was supposed to be playing a teenage boy.

“So how are you this morning, Pidge?” Hunk asked her, settling with a smile across his lips. This was a first, but he was glad she was opening up to them.

“Oh, uh…” She faltered, looking down at her food. “Tired, but good. Not eager for gym class.”

“Yeah, Lance told me what you guys have today.” He mentioned.

“You wouldn’t happen to have physics today, would you, Pidge?” Lance asked hopefully. He only knew of the classes Pidge was in with him, but she never mentioned the other ones, and he never asked.

“Yeah, for second period.” She told him, munching lightly on her food.

“Do you know about the test?”

“Yeah.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have notes for it then, would you?” If anyone would have anything for it, it’d be Pidge. He knew enough by the projects she kept in her room that she was a bit of a genius (enough so to forge scholarships and her identity so she could get herself into a prestigious school such as the Garrison), so she would be a safe person to go to.

“Yeah, I do.” She nodded her head between a small bite of food. “Why? Do you need them?”

“I’d be forever in your favor if I could borrow them. Just until after fifth period.” He said, his body hunching over in a look that resembled a dismissive act towards someone bigger than him. Of course Pidge was nowhere near his height, but she was the only person he could go to for this.

“Sure…?” She replied skeptically. “I don’t need them.”

“Ugh, thank you, Pidge.” His body slouched in relief, a sigh escaping his lips. He could breathe a little easier now that he could have her notes for the test. “You are a life saver.”

“Not a problem,” She looked away from him and back to her food, as if this were her silent way of saying she was done talking about this. She wasn’t the chattiest of people, but that was okay. This was a step Lance didn’t think she’d take, but she did, and that was enough for him for the whole year.

“Hey, I’ll be right back.” Hunk said, standing from his table. “I’m going to throw my trash out.” He continued.

“Okay,” Lance waved at him, focusing on clearing his plate before breakfast ended so he could run back to his room and get ready for class. Only a few seconds went by, however, before Pidge distracted him. Again, it was the eating thing. She was taking such small bites with barely any food on her plate. “Hey, uh, Pidge?”

“Hmm?” She asked with syrup sticking to her lips. Lance leaned in just a bit closer, focusing on keeping his voice a dull whisper. This was a conversation for just the two of them, and despite the loud chatter of the other boys at tables that weren’t too far away, he didn’t want anyone else listening in.

“If you want to keep up this façade that you’re a boy, I would suggest that you eat like one of us.”

“What do you mean?” She asked with a frown and furrowed brows.

“Pidge, guys don’t get small amounts of food like that, or nibble on it like you do. We stock up our plates until they weigh five pounds and then gorge on it until it’s gone in five seconds.” He admitted, pointing to his plate that had been pretty full, but was nearly empty, and only was it nearly, because he’d been talking most of the time.

“Boy’s did that in middle school, but I just thought that was an eating contest type of thing.” She mentioned, looking down at her plate to take in her meager amount of food. It wasn’t much in comparison to what she had seen other guys take in.

Right, she was fifteen. This would have been her first year in high school, so she wouldn’t have known any better. He kept forgetting that they had a two year difference between them, and she still had a lot to learn. However, what she said struck a chord within him.

“Wait, in middle school? You said you were homeschooled all of your life!”

“Lance, how much of what I said up until last week did you actually believe?” She asked with a sarcastic tone.

“I’m not sure what to believe anymore.” He breathed a distressed sigh. He wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t anymore, and now he was left more confused forever.

He knew for sure that her name was Katie Holt. She was fifteen. She _had_ been in public school before, but for how long he wasn’t sure. This was her first year of high school, stuck in an all-boy’s school. She had a brother and a father, Matt and Sam Holt, who were fired for “tampering” with samples from the moon. She was trying to prove them innocent and clear her family name.

She knew next to nothing about guys.

“Listen, if you want to put on a more convincing performance than this, then you need to start taking in some guy habits.”

“Fooled you, didn’t it?” Again with the sarcasm, but this time with an eyebrow raised at him with her eyes narrowly staring at him without turning her head.

“Pidge-”

“I’ll talk about it later…” She mumbled quite suddenly, but he only realized why when Hunk sat down in his spot.

“I wish the line was still open. I could go for some of that French toast.” He mentioned, leaning his head into his hand.

Lance looked from the corners of his eyes to Pidge, giving her a look that practically screamed _I told you so._ She rolled her own in response before going back to nibbling at her food.

“Now you know for tomorrow,” Lance assured him, leaning back in his seat.

Pidge’s short remarks had left him no less than full now, even though he hadn’t had much on his plate to begin with, and only seconds before had he been ready to shovel everything into his mouth. Now he was left a little irritated, because there was still so much he didn’t know of her, and so much that still didn’t make sense.

There was so much he wanted to know about her, but she didn’t seem ready to talk about it yet. She wasn’t ready to open up. All he knew seemed to be all of what he was going to know until she was ready to open up, as Hunk had spoken of.

Now that they had gotten the first barrier down, there were the ones Hunk knew all too well of. The ones that kept Pidge’s identity and lie safely to herself. She was trusting Lance enough to keep her entire presence here as a girl a secret, but she couldn’t trust him to tell him what actually went on with her life?

Now he was annoyed. Now he was irritated. Again it felt like he was back to square one from the beginning of the year, and finding out that she was a girl had just been the first code he cracked in the case that was her: Pidge Gunderson. Or rather, Katie Holt.

If he thought she was this much of a problem now, however, he had no idea what bigger problems were about to occur.

Bigger problems in the form of her big brother, Matt Holt.


	8. So Much Power in Such a Small Person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyy, I've already got chapter 9 done, and I ish ready to work on chapter ten. Like I said on tumblr, these next few updates will come quicker, as I'm realllllllly excited to get to work on the "meat" of the story, as I called it to Hail. These next few chapters I think will be heavier in content, and will also border or will be the T rating. I had said at the beginning that the rating may change, but I'm leaving it G, since that's the overall rating of the fic. However, just know it's a bit more than what G usually stands for. ^^'  
> But look! It's a wild Matt! And yes I took my post from Tumblr and used it here, but let's focus on Matt, shall we?

“Okay…?” Pidge’s eyebrows lifted in sarcastic attitude as she looked over to Lance, watching him pace the room. The expression on his face clearly read trouble, but she was having a hard time understanding why. “So… What am I doing wrong?”

“Pidge,” Lance stopped, turning to face her with his arms outstretched in a wild gesture. “It’s not just looking like a guy. You have to _be_ a guy, especially if you want to keep yourself under everyone’s radar.”

“But I’ve managed just fine,” She replied, a feeling of offense being taken at her portrays as a man. “You fell for it.”

“Probably because you were right under my nose!” He exclaimed. “But, let’s be honest, Pidge. You are a horrible guy.”

“How so?” Her arms crossed over her chest, her lips pulled into a tight frown.

“Well, for starters,” Lance’s hands fell to his sides, one gesturing to her posture. “The way you sit.”

“What’s wrong with the way I sit?” Lance could hear the bite to her tone.

“You sit with your legs together, and with your back straight.” Lance came over to sit beside her on the bed. “Plus you keep your hands right by your hips. Guys don’t do that.”

“What are you even talking about?” She sneered, her hands falling to sit on the bed.

“Just like that!” He pointed out at her hands. “Pidge, guys don’t sit like this.”

“How am I sitting then? Show me.” The smaller brunette demanded of him, her arms going back to crossing over her chest.

Lance did just that, straightening his back and bringing his legs together that replicated a fashion Pidge most often took up. It wasn’t that her legs were together; it was that they were together and her feet stayed separated, and he led by example while his hands fell to his hips.

“You’re sitting like this,” He said, taking in the distinct curiosity that overcame her expression as she looked at him. “See it now?”

Judging by the small look of understanding guilt that fell over her face, she must have. She must have seen how weird it looked on him, only to realize that was exactly how she sat all of the time. It was almost like second nature for her, and that wasn’t a bad thing, but anyone who picked up on small details like this would easily come to the conclusion that she was a girl in no time, and she knew it.

“Oh…”

“It’s not bad to sit like this, but guys just don’t sit like that. First off, loosen your shoulders a bit. We let our shoulders sit low.” Lance did as he spoke of, giving her an example to follow. Pidge stared for a few seconds longer than necessary before doing as told, dropping the weight from her shoulders and letting them relax. “Okay, good. Now slouch down a bit.”

Lance moved again, letting her watch with the obvious curiosity to get an idea of how it was that men really sat. She followed not a moment later, and while it was a vast improvement from earlier, there was still something off.

“Spread your legs,” He stated all too bluntly, and only realized the second the words left his lips how odd that came across. That, and the look of disgust that was clearly written on the younger teen’s face. “N-No, not like that.” He looked away with a flush. “It’s called man spreading. Guy’s like to keep their legs apart.”

“This is all starting to sound really sexist.” Pidge’s entire posture straightened again, her frown even deeper and her brassy eyes narrowed like daggers at him.

“It’s not sexist! Guy’s need room for… _You know,_ ” Lance motioned to his hips. “It’s more comfortable for us doing that. Sitting the way you do would smother everything, and it’s bad enough you didn’t react to getting a ball between the legs a few weeks ago.”

Ah, he was right. Annoyingly so in fact. While she didn’t agree to any of this, she really hadn’t thought of any physical repercussions to sitting the way a guy did, or… _Reacting_ the way men did when getting hit where the sun didn’t shine. That should have been Lance’s first hint into her being a girl, but he’d been ignorant to the thought. That didn’t mean that anyone else on the field hadn’t taken notice to it, and the idea made her heart pound a little harder within her chest.

It wasn’t like she was cool with any of this, but she couldn’t be caught, and if that meant she needed to do this to keep herself safe, then that meant that she’d have to give into these stupid stance’s and do what Lance said.

“Fine,” She fell back into a posture similar to Lance’s, this time pushing her legs apart enough for her knee to press into his.

“There you go! Looking better already,” His expression lightened up instantly at the way she looked. It wasn’t to say it was more mature, but it wasn’t as feminine as it was before, and better hid the natural curve in her back. “Sit like this whenever you can. In class, at lunch, or wherever people can see you as a guy, okay?”

“Fine,” She repeated with dejection.

“Cool,” The brunette gave her a thumbs up. “Now let’s work on your walk.”

“My _walk?”_ Lance stood up, prompting her to get up and follow closely behind as he went to his desk at the end of the room. “What’s wrong with my walk?”

“Well first, you take very small strides.”

“Listen, if this is about me being short-”

“ _Secondly,_ ” He quickly interrupted what he knew to be a rant in the making. “And this isn’t a guy thing, but you’re drawing way too much attention to yourself with the way you walk.”

“How?”

“You don’t walk like you own a room, Pidge.” Lance walked across the room. “Again, this isn’t a guy thing, but you walk so meek and timid, like you’re _trying_ not to draw attention to yourself. It’s like you’ve got a secret, and that’s only going to do the opposite of what you want.” He walked back in a stride she often took up, smaller pace and arms to his chest included.

“That’s how I’ve always walked.”

“And that’s what is going to get you the wrong kind of attention.” He pointed to her. “Trying to make yourself disappear is only going to draw more attention in. The better your walk is, the more people come to look at you with respect, not as a punching bag, and that’s going to take their eyes off of you.”

Pidge stared at him with a look he couldn’t quite name. Absurd was a word that came to mind, but that wasn’t an adjective that could explain her expression.

“What the crap kind of logic is that?” She grumbled, her finger pushing into his chest. “If I walk like I want respect, people are going to ignore me? That makes no sense!”

“It makes perfect sense if you just _listen_.” He berated her, pushing his hands into her shoulders to put some distance between them, and to get her finger off of him. “I’m sorry, Pidge, but you walk like you’re asking to be bullied. I’m not saying you want to, but you walk with absolutely no confidence in yourself whatsoever, and people will take full advantage of that to bring you down.”

It looked as if something in what he said struck a chord with her. Something about that statement made sense in a way she hadn’t taken into consideration before, and like a light had turned on in her head. He wasn’t sure what that light was for, but it made sense, and he watched as the physical personification of surprise and amazement took over her expression.

“It’s a proven fact that when you walk like you own a room, when you walk like you want- No. When you _demand_ respect, people are less likely to go after you, because they see you as something that’s not weak and easy to take down. Bullies will go after something weaker than them to make themselves feel better, and if you walk around like you have a _kick me_ sign on your back, then that’s exactly what you’re going to get. You get what you put out into the universe, and maybe you aren’t getting bullied, but you’re drawing eyes to you.”

“… O-Oh…” She uttered, looking to the floor.

“What…?”

“I… Never thought about it like that before…” Pidge’s hands fell to the hem of his shirt (One that he had lent her until she got bigger ones), tugging on the edges lightly. “I just… Thought they didn’t like me…”

Something in her words were unsettling to say the least. It was easy to understand what she meant, and what could be taken away from her words, but somehow he didn’t like the idea of her getting bullied in school. She was fifteen, and far too young for that kind of high school life, but she sounded like she wasn’t a stranger to the taunts and finger pointing in her daily life.

Why was that so upsetting to him? Why did that make something in his chest sit wrong?

“… Did you get picked on back in middle school?”

“All of the time. Through most of my school life, really.” She admitted, looking to the floor by her feet like there was something interesting to be taken from it. “My mom always told me it was because they were miserable with their own lives, so they wanted to take it out on me, but… I didn’t think I was actually doing anything to draw them in. I kept quiet and tried not to talk, but… I guess that was wrong…”

Lance sighed, his head tilting to the side.

This was just the norm for her, wasn’t it? She was so used to this kind of treatment, and again, her previous behavior made all the more sense to him. It was sad she had walls up to begin with. That should have never happened.

“I’m not saying you did anything wrong, Pidge. You stayed out of it the best you could, and your mom was absolutely right. People were miserable, and it’s sad that fingers needed to be pointed at the victim. It’s always something they’ve done wrong, right?”

“That’s how I always felt, yeah.” Her head lifted, her spirits seeming to lift at the idea that someone understood. “My teachers always asked what I had been doing, and I always told them that I hadn’t been doing anything, but they didn’t seem to believe me! But… I guess I was?”

“Pidge, it’s nothing about you. Don’t point a finger at yourself, okay?” Lance’s hands came to rest on her shoulders, kneeling down slightly to be closer to eye level with her. “Look, people can be upset, but they shouldn’t take that out on others. That has nothing to do with how you walk or act. That’s on them, and you can’t change how other people are going to react. You can only ever change yourself.”

Pidge blinked slowly, and it was hard to tell with the dim light peering through the curtains, but it looked like her eyes were getting red.

“I’m not saying you should change anything, but you’re an awesome person, and you should at least act like you are, okay?”

“… H-How?” She swallowed hard, her voice shaking. Lance smiled lightly.

“Let’s start small and work on that walk. How does that sound?”

She finally smiled for the first time that day.

“Sounds good to me.”

* * *

“Okay, one more time.” Lance said, pointing to his side of the room.

“This is tedious, and I did not sign up for this.” Pidge remarked, her body sluggishly slouched over from where she stood by her desk.

“Well there are a few… Feminine kinks we can work out while we’re here.” Lance stated, shrugging lightly. “Come on. One more time.”

Pidge audibly groaned before slowly walking towards him again, trying to keep her back slouched, but straight for confidence, and her shoulders back, but dropped and relaxed.

This was a lot of work to walk like a guy.

“No,” Lance suddenly said.

“No?” She growled. “Come on! What is it now?”

“Your hips sway too much when you walk.” He said while bracing his hands up in front of himself and aligning them with her hips to get an idea of how they moved.

“I’m actually concerned with how much attention you’re giving my body.” She remarked, stepping back a few paces.

“Oh! No! That’s not what I meant!” The older teen immediately flushed red, his voice shaking in embarrassment. “I-I just mean that girls hips move differently from guys when they walk!”

“Scientific knowledge again, professor?” She addressed, her hands falling onto her hips in visible protest.

“Come on, you know what I mean.” He grumbled dejectedly, clearly defeated.

“Not really? I don’t really have that model figure guys like, so…” She trailed off, feeling her point was very obviously made.

“Oh come on, Pidge. It’s not like what you have isn’t pretty.”

It seemed that the filter between Lance’s brain and his mouth just wasn’t working today, and not for the better. He felt like he should have reached out to grab at the words as they left his mouth, but it was too late, as so clearly shown by the way Pidge’s eyes widened, her cheeks darkening a red hue.

“W-What?” Her voice cracked and she stuttered, her whole body going rigid upon the words.

“I-I mean like, it’s not like you’re ugly, but you aren’t like _pretty_ pretty- No wait! That’s not what I mean!” Lance could just see the thoughts running through her head as he tried to recover from this situation, only to make it worse, and then only to make her more confused. “I-I mean like, you’re you, and that’s pretty, so like, that’s cool. That’s fine, a-and I mean come on. You’re only fifteen.”

Where was he going with that one? The two year difference between them being pointed out didn’t seem like a good idea.

“S-So like you aren’t fully developed. I’m sure once you finish puberty and stuff, you’ll be, uh…” Lance lifted his hands, as if to draw an hour glass figure in the air, but stopped short when he realized that he didn’t want to put that kind of standard on her head when she already seemed to have some idea of herself already.

Seriously. Where was he going with this again?

It seemed like whatever God that existed was smiling down at him, their horribly awful conversation coming to an abrupt halt when someone knocked on their dorm room door. The two of them noticeably deflated in relief, sighing in unison before Lance paced to the door, and Pidge went back to her bed.

“Class is dismissed!” Lance announced, watching as she plopped down comfortably on her bed with a small smile, the second one today, and there was something invigorating in the way she did it that made Lance think that things were going to go well this year after all.

Until he opened the door.

Lance didn’t need to see any picture of Pidge’s family to know that this was one of them standing behind the door with his hands in his sweater pockets, a hat on his head flattening the shoulder length, brown hair he had, his bangs covering up part of his brassy eyes while he frowned in a way that seemed so familiar that it was almost scary.

Even more frightening was that she had never bothered to mention that he was, for all intents and purposes, tall. Really, really tall. Lance considered five foot ten for a seventeen year old to be pretty tall, but to see this guy stand at possibly six foot at the _least_ was saying something more than what Lance’s frantic driven mind could comprehend.

This was, without a doubt, her brother.

Matt Holt.

“Uhh…”

_Great first impression, McClain. Way to impress the family._

“Is Pidge here?” Her brother asked in a voice that Lance didn’t expect him to have. For someone as tall as him with a glare matching his sister’s, he was surprised that it was lighter than what he seemed like he could produce. It was softer with a hint of youth to it, unlike someone who would be a few years his senior.

“Uhh…”

“Matt…?” Pidge left the introductions for last as she came up from behind Lance, wondering who was at the door and curious to know who had her roommate in such a bizarre state. That was, however, until she heard the uncanny voice of her big brother, and saw the man standing behind the door. “W-What are you doing here?”

Lance was only partially aware that Pidge was grabbing onto the back of his shirt. The rest of him was too busy trying to figure out what kind of situation this was.

Without being told to, Matt let himself into the room. The air around him was as tense as when Lance thought Pidge was a boy, but nothing could prepare him for what was about to come.

“Can you leave?” He asked, and it was now that Lance realized that Matt’s brown eyes were on him, and that the question had been directed at him. “I need to talk to my little… _Brother_ , alone.”

“Oh… Uh, y-yeah, I can-”

“Lance, stay.” Pidge ordered, her arms crossing over her chest. Lance looked down to the smaller teen before back to her brother, who was wearing a frown not nearly as bad as hers, but he’d be damned if it wasn’t close.

He shouldn’t have been surprised in the least that they even had the same frown.

“I said leave.” Matt growled, taking up a stance similar to Pidge’s own, but his hands stayed on his hips instead.

“No, Lance. You stay right here. He has no authority over you, and he knows it.” She assured him, shutting the door behind them.

This left Lance trapped, trying to figure out who he was supposed to listen to and what his heart was saying he needed to do.

Technically, if he remembered correctly from the news programs he watched about the mission to Kerberos, Matt was twenty. He was older, which meant that he technically had more say over Lance than Pidge did, and yet the brunette felt it was safer to listen to her and do as she said, because she understood what this situation was.

Or whatever it was about to be.

“I’m not having this conversation in front of him.” Her brother said, his eyes glaring daggers at the younger teen, as if testing his disobedient behavior.

“He _knows_ , Matt.” Pidge told him, and it was then that Lance had wished he had decided to leave.

“What?” Matt’s voice raised enough to make them think their neighbors would hear, but he seemed to understand that there were ears all around them, and this conversation couldn’t be heard by anyone outside of this room. “Someone already knows? Damn it, Pidge! I told you, you couldn’t do this!”

“I’m doing just fine!” She argued. “And Lance has been helping me keep everything a secret!”

“You’ve already gotten people involved! I can’t believe you’d be so selfish and do something like this!”

“So selfish?” Her foot stomped, and Lance backed up towards his desk. “I’m doing this for _you!_ For us and our family! I’m trying to get your named cleared and get your job back!”

“How many times do I have to tell you, Katie?” It was still really odd hearing her actual name, but even more so to know that Pidge was a name she went by even with her brother. “I’m fine! We’re fine! We’re managing just fine! This is not something you should be involving yourself with!”

“You think not paying our bills is fine? You think having our car repossessed is fine? You think you having to go from a forty hour week to a seventy hour week is fine for you?”

Lance now felt he was intruding on something he wasn’t a part of. Pidge had never told him any of this, and for her own reasons. While he had wanted to know what her goals were, and what the end results would be, he knew she’d tell him on her own time and when she was good and ready. Hearing her talk about it now felt like a breach of privacy, even when she was aware that he was standing right there.

“That has nothing to do with you, Katie! I don’t know why you’re putting all of this over _your_ head when it’s something that adults need to deal with! You’re just a child!”

“I’m not a child, Matt, and I’m tired of you acting like I’m some helpless infant! I’m not going to sit around and let our family fall apart, because of what the Garrison got away with!”

“I’m not giving you a choice!” Matt left his stagnant position and went to her bed, obviously knowing whose was whose by the mess she left behind. He grabbed her backpack from the floor and dropped it haphazardly on her bed, quickly stuffing her books inside. “Pack up. We’re going home.”

“No!” Pidge grabbed at his sweater and yanked, pulling him back from the bed. “I’m not going anywhere until I get what I came here for!”

“Katie Holt, you’re going home one way or another. Do you want to go quietly, or am I going to have to take you home kicking and screaming?”

“Just try it!”

Lance felt so out of place now. There was a part of him that really wanted to leave, but something told him not to just yet. He needed to stay, and for what reasons he wasn’t sure yet, but he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t just stand around and watch them fight though.

“Uhm, h-hey…” He announced his presence, reminding them that they weren’t alone, but he felt like that wasn’t the best idea when Matt’s glare fell to him.

“What?” He snapped at him.

“Listen, I know this isn’t the best situation, but uh… P-Pidge, or, _Katie_ is doing really well here, and she’s working so hard to help you guys. I hear what you’re saying, I really do, but she’s gotten so far already. I think it’d be a waste to take her home now when she’s-”

“Are you serious?” Lance couldn’t even finish his speech before Matt dropped her backpack, stepping up to him and letting his impressive height surpass him. “Don’t even start with me. You’re already in trouble for living with my baby sister for this long.”

“Back off, Matt!” Pidge quickly got between them, seeming so small, but highly effective against her brother’s stare down. “He has nothing to do with this!”

“Nothing to-? Are you kidding me? Pidge, don’t you see what you’ve done?” He asked, his hands flailing at his sides in an exasperated manner. “Not only have you endangered everything for your future, you’ve gone and gotten _him_ mixed up in all of this! You’ve messed up his future just as badly!”

“I hadn’t meant to get him caught up in it! I tried to keep him out of it, but he found out!”

“Just like others will if you stay here! That’s why we’re packing up your stuff and leaving, _now_.”

Matt turned away from her and back to her bed, quickly shoveling some of her dirty clothes into her backpack alongside her books. Pidge looked like she was ready to argue and yell some more; there was so much more to say, and yet she couldn’t see to get anything else out. She was just watching as he packed up her stuff, feeling the energy drain from her body.

Was that really it? All of this just to be taken home, and for what?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She hadn’t gotten what she needed in time, risked Lance’s future, her own, and still failed.

“M-Matt…” She uttered, deflating at the idea that this was all over. She hadn’t worked this hard to only be taken home with nothing to show for how crazy this idea was besides her failure. The only one who knew was Matt, who she had only told a few weeks ago, but because of his insane work schedule, there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

At least that had been then. He must have found some time to get off work so he could leave the state and come get her, because the drive itself was horrendous.

How was she supposed to go home with nothing? How was she supposed to explain everything to her parents? How could she possibly tell them about her plan that only failed in the end, leaving them with nothing more than what they had left?

Her eyes burned with tears she refused to shed. This couldn’t have been over. She refused to believe that, but she didn’t know what else to say. Legally Matt had every right to take her home, and she couldn’t fight him about this. Either way she was going home. It was just up to her on whether it would be a quiet process or not.

“Uh, you know…” Lance began, invoking Matt’s angry glare once again. Pidge looked up to him with a mixed expression of confusion and sadness. Somewhere deep down it was a silent plea for help, but what could Lance do? He was just as useless in this situation as she was, but at least he was willing to stand up for her. “You can’t take her home.”

“Excuse me?” Matt asked, letting her backpack flop against her bed. Pidge watched as he visibly stiffened, swallowing back his fear.

“You can’t take her home.” Lance somehow managed to shrug his shoulders. “In order to do that, you’d have to go to the office and explain why she’s leaving and fill out paperwork to take her out of school, which I don’t think you can do, since you aren’t a legal guardian.”

Pidge’s eyes widened as she looked to him, taking in his words with trepidation. She was only so much aware that her lips had parted in amazement as well, but only slightly.

Lance had a point. He was right.

“And if you did tell them, you’d be exposing her identity. You’d be exposing her lies and the fraudulent files she made to get here into the school, and what her original intentions were. You’d be leaving her at risk of being arrested for all that she did, which would be way worse than making her leave.” Lance motioned to Pidge, only taking a split second to take in her shocked expression before continuing. “At this point, the only one who can get her out of this mess is Pidge, and that’s only if you let her stay and finish what she started.”

Pidge couldn’t even begin to explain in words the swell of joy she felt in her heart. The amazing happiness she felt, not just for the reason behind why Matt couldn’t make her leave, but that Lance was standing up for her.

For two months, all she had done was shun him and treat him like he was nothing to her. She had only done it to keep him out of it, because dragging people into this mess that she had created for herself only would have made things worse. Lance seemed to have come to an understanding about this, but that didn’t excuse what she did. In the end, Lance still chose the high road and took it upon himself to help her, teach her, and stand up for her.

Hunk had been right. Lance was just that kind of guy, and it wasn’t fair to him what she had done, or even for him to get in the middle of this situation with her brother. He didn’t deserve any of it.

His argument still proved a point, however, and she felt obligated to let him finish. He had something against her brother that not many people could have thought of, and that was an amazing feat all on its own.

Matt couldn’t make her leave, even if he wanted to.

“You’re kidding, right?” Matt asked, seemingly unperturbed by what he had said. “Who do you think taught her how to do all of that?”

And just like that, his argument went right down the drain.

He had momentarily forgotten in his lapse of confidence who he was dealing with. Matt Holt, as well as the rest of her family, weren’t your average group of people. He should have taken this into account, considering Matt was the Communications Officer, as well as the Tech Specialist on their trip to Kerberos. He wasn’t your average nine to five man. He was a guy who surpassed most on even the simplest of levels, because he was a certifiable genius.

At twenty, he had accomplished more than what the average person had accomplished in years of hard work and labor. The Holts were well known for this, and while Lance didn’t look at them as A list celebrities, they weren’t people to disrespect.

So was that it then? Matt could easily get her out of this as fast as she had gotten herself into it, so was it really over? All of her hard work accounted to nothing.

“Matt, please…” Pidge begged of her brother, reaching for his sweater sleeve to grab. “I’m doing this to help you and dad. I’m even doing this for Shiro! Why are you so mad at me for this?”

“I’m not mad at you, Pidge. I’m worried.” He explained, dropping her backpack. “You’re throwing your life away for nothing.”

“It’s not for nothing if I can succeed!” She exclaimed. “Why are you so sure I’m going to fail?”

“Pidge, it’s the government. This is a government job. It’s not as easy as you think it’s going to be. Besides, even if you got the truth out, chances are we still won’t get our jobs back.”

“Doesn’t matter.” She argued, turning away with her arms crossed over her chest. “I’m in this to clear our name, and I’m not leaving until I get the truth out there.” Matt audibly groaned, covering his face with a hand in an exasperated manner.

“Why are you so stubborn?” He growled.

“I wonder where I got that from too.” She retorted, and Lance covered his mouth to hide his smile and small laugh.

If this situation weren’t as serious as it was, he’d probably make a joke himself, but he didn’t think he had the grounds to do that.

“Pidge, I’m just trying to protect you. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.” Matt tried to warn, but she seemed like she wasn’t going to have any of it.

“I know what I’m getting myself into. You don’t think I haven’t thought of the serious repercussions by now?” She asked, motioning above herself to the room. “I’m living in an all-boys dorm! I know how far I’m taking this.”

“That’s another thing.” He interjected. “I’m not cool with you living with another boy. You know boys aren’t trustworthy.”

“I’m standing right here.” Lance announced, as if they had forgotten he was in the room.

“I know.” Matt deadpanned.

“So stop insinuating I’m going to do something to her! I wouldn’t ever lay a hand on her!”

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why wouldn’t you lay a hand on her?” Judging by the lack luster expression on her brother’s face, Matt was being serious. “What? Is she not good enough for you or something?”

“What? N-No, no, that’s not-”

“Is she not up to your standards? Is she not datable for you or something?”

“No! It’s not like that at all! I-I would love to date her-”

“You _what?_ ” Pidge gaped in surprise, her tone spiking in surprise.

“Oh, so you’ve thought of her like that?” Matt asked him, stepping closer to be in his face. “You’ve thought of her all naked and stuff?”

“No, I’ve never-”

“That’s my baby sister, you son of a-!”

“Matt stop!” Pidge jumped between the two of them, her hands lifting to break his narrowed glare from Lance, who had his arms and hands raised up in defense. “Stop interrogating him! Lance would never take advantage of any girl, period!”

“How would you know? You’ve only lived with him since the start of the school year!”

“And for the whole two months I’ve been here, he’s been nothing but kind and caring and accepting of me, even when I didn’t deserve it!” She defended, stepping back to push Lance away from him, effectively putting space between them. ”He’s taken care of me and my secret, even when I was sick! I know he’d never hurt me in any way, even if I deserved it. Especially after how horribly I treated him when he thought I was a guy.”

Lance wanted to speak up for her, and to tell her he understood her reasoning and her intentions behind her actions, but he was still too frazzled by Matt’s accusations to jump into the conversation just yet.

“Pidge-” Matt tried, but she stopped him short.

“No Matt! I’m not going to stand here and let you push him around! He’s done nothing to deserve that! You keep telling me I’ve gotten him into this horrible situation, but you aren’t making it any better by bullying him into silence!” Pidge was only slightly aware that her voice was getting too loud, and hoped with all her might that their neighbors were out before curfew, but even with the knowledge that they might have heard her, she couldn’t seem to calm herself. “So if you’re going to be like that, then just leave and never come back!”

Her words had a bite to them that went far past the usual argument. A bite with clipped words that had Matt taken aback, clearly hurt.

No, that wasn’t okay.

“Hey, Pidge,” Lance grabbed at her shoulders and spun her around, taking her attention away from him and putting it on himself. It was the only way she’d stay focused. “Come on. This is getting out of hand.”

“No, Lance! This isn’t fair!”

“He’s your brother, Pidge.” He reminded her. “I know he’s being unreasonable, but that doesn’t mean you have to kick him out.”

The smaller teen huffed, her hands coming up to run through her hair as a mild distraction. She was beyond irrational at this point, too worked up by fear and sadness to think straight. She was upset, and who wouldn’t be? She needed to calm down though before she made a mistake and said things she couldn’t take back, because she seemed to be the type of girl to do something like that.

“Fine,” She huffed, tugging at the ends of her short hair. “Fine, fine!”

“Pidge,” He spoke softly, squeezing at her shoulders. The smaller teen took a couple of deep breaths, her eyes beginning to turn red from the frustration. She knew Lance was right, but when her brother did things like this, it really got on her nerves.

When she was in grade school and middle school, it was appreciated when he’d come to her side and protect her. She loved it when he stood up for her and helped her, and even would sit with her after school, telling her he’d protect her no matter what, and then they’d share snacks and talk about the rest of their days.

In a way, Pidge could see he was just doing what he had been doing since she was born. He was protecting her as he always had been, making sure she never got hurt by anything or anyone.

This was different though. This was a situation she had put herself into in order to save him, because this was something that didn’t involve her for once. Someone was bullying him and her father, and it was her turn to help them.

“Look, Matt…” She began, wiping at her eyes with a heavy breath. Her voice was shaking as she spoke, but she was determined to get this out in the open before she broke down. “I’m not leaving. You’ll take me out of here kicking and screaming, and I’ll come back. I’m not leaving until I get the evidence I need to clear you, dad and Shiro. I’m just not.”

The eldest brunette looked up with wounded eyes, but behind them was an understanding.

“I know you’ve always been the one saving me before, but now it’s my turn to save you. Please, _please,_ just… Just let me do this.” She begged of him, her hands squeezing into fists. She felt the gentle touch of Lance’s hand against her back, encouraging her as he had been, but she knew he wasn’t afraid to pull her back and stop her if things got out of hand again.

Matt took in a long, deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh as his shoulders slacked. His body seemingly deflated, along with the heavy tension that surrounded him since the moment he stood behind the door.

“… You’d just come back, wouldn’t you?” He asked, his eyes looking into Pidge’s own in understanding, and something more.

Pidge’s frown turned up into a smile, the corrugations between her brows that almost seemed permanent dispersing as she let out a small breath, something that sounded almost like a laugh. She left Lance’s side to jump into her brother’s arms, her own wrapping around his shoulders and her face pressing into the crook of his neck and shoulder to muffle her voice, which sounded raspy and on the verge of tears.

“T-Thank you, Matt…” She breathed out as Matt hugged her back, practically lifting her from the floor to keep her close.

“You know I don’t want to do this…” He mumbled, pressing a hand into the back of her hair. “But I guess I have to let you grow up sometime, don’t I?”

“I’m still your baby sister,” She told him leaning back to look at his face as he gently set her back on the floor. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself…”

“I know…” Her brother sighed heavily. “But still, you know, get your own room.”

Pidge rolled her eyes with a chortle while Lance crossed his arms over his chest.

“Matt,” She chided, but he ignored her.

“I don’t like you living with another boy, Pidge! It’s gross and wrong and you’re too young!”

“Listen, even if I wanted to move out, it’s too late into the year. All of the dorms are taken.” She shrugged her shoulders lightly. “Be happy I managed to convince the staff to let Lance and I into a room with a private bathroom instead of the public ones.”

Wait, _she_ did that? Pidge had done that on purpose? So the reason they had a bathroom of their own was because she got it for herself?

Lance was actually horrified by the power that this small girl had. There was so much power in such a small person.

“Fine,” Matt grumbled in defeat, but quickly locked his eyes on Lance. “You.”

His threateningly pointed finger stopped the teen’s thought process, his hands lifting defensively from his sides into the air to show he meant no harm.

“Y-Yeah?”                                                                 

“Don’t you dare do anything to my baby sister.” Matt warned him, leaving Pidge’s side to get in his face again. “You touch her or hurt her in anyway, and I’ll make sure you never see the light of day again. I know how to deal with anyone who hurts her, and trust me, if you so much as lay a finger on any hair on her head, you’ll be expelled from here and anywhere else I can find you!”

It was safe to say that Lance got the message just fine.

“Y-Yes sir,” Was all he could mutter, because he didn’t know what else to say besides that, and that he would never hurt Pidge no matter what.

He seemed to be at a loss of how to set up those words.

* * *

It took some time to get Matt to leave. It had been two months since Pidge had seen him after all, and she was desperate for some time with her brother. However, they had classes in the morning, and it was bad enough they had a screaming match so late into the evening. He had to go.

The door shut with a heavy click, leaving the two teens alone once again, but the previous teachings of how to act like a guy had been completely forgotten of, with no ideas of picking them up again.

Pidge leaned heavily into the door, her shoulders sagging, but Lance wasn’t sure if it was from relief or sadness. It was obvious her brother and her were close, and that he would do anything for his sister, so it must have hurt to watch him leave, knowing she wouldn’t see him again for lord knows how long. Until winter break, most likely, unless he decided to pop in again un-expectantly.

However, judging from what she had said earlier about his horrible hours at work and that she wasn’t even in the same state as him anymore meant that probably wouldn’t be happening in a long time.

She was fifteen, and this sounded like her first time away from home, especially for so long. Lance remembered last year being much the same way, and how he’d often call home to cry to his mom, and then listen to his father tell him to man up and stop crying, because they weren’t going anywhere, and he’d be home soon. He’d hear his older siblings tell him they missed him, and when he got off, he would silently cry into his pillow until he fell asleep.

He remembered how hard it was not getting to see his family every day, but he couldn’t imagine Pidge’s position, and what she was going through. For her, it seemed to be a whole lot worse, because, not only was she not able to see her family, she had their whole future on her shoulders.

At least now her brother was on her side about it, but would her parents be? Had Matt told them what she had done? Had they taken the news badly if he had?

These next few weeks were going to be hard, and he knew it, but at least she wasn’t alone.

“Well… That was embarrassing…” She uttered, her voice shaking slightly. “He’s… Embarrassing…”

“You okay…?” He asked of her, placing a hand softly against her shoulders.

“Y-Yeah,” Judging by the sniffle that followed, she wasn’t, but Pidge was a strong girl who didn’t like showing that she was suffering.

“I know how you feel.” He mentioned, rubbing lightly at her back. “I hated having to get off of the phone with my family, and it took a lot out of me to come back here after the holidays, just until spring break…”

It seemed he had been right. At the mention of his own family, Pidge turned around, wrapping her arms around his chest and hugging him tightly while her face pressed against his shoulder. He felt the shake of her body as he held her close, hearing the way she tried to breathe through whatever she was feeling, but it wasn’t working. She was too upset to do anything but cry.

“Thank you, L-Lance…” She mumbled, huffing lightly as she tried to contain herself.

“For what?”

“For standing up for me,” Her breathing stuttered. “F-For fighting for me. For everything, b-because I don’t deserve it…”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Pidge…” He told her, rubbing her head. “It’s all water under the bridge now. Let’s just clean the slate and start over…”

At that, Pidge finally had it in herself to let out her frustrations and cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I just wanted to say thanks for some of the really awesome comments again. I've also been getting some super nice comments on tumblr, and I just wanted to say you guys are awesome. I'm putting it out into the universe that you guys are awesome! :D That is all.


	9. You’re into that Kind of Stuff?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Before we begin, a big happy birthday to Xenia_iliopoulou here on Ao3! Thank you for all of the awesome comments you've given me over the course of this fanfic. I hope your birthday is epic and awesome! :D I also hope this chapter is a good, early birthday present for ya! Have fun! ^_^  
> -Misty

It had been a week since Matt had seen them. October had come and gone just as fast as the others had. Pidge was doing better, but Lance still heard her once or twice sniffling in her bed at night, and the longing to go down and comfort her was getting stronger.

Lance hadn’t thought he’d feel like this, and what’s worse, he felt like it started the minute he found out she was a girl, which seemed highly hypocritical of him. He hated it that this warmth in his chest blossomed overnight, and that every time he saw her, all he wanted to do was hold her.

This idea of comforting her when she was sad and wanting to keep her happy wasn’t a bad thing, but he hated the idea that it was because she was a girl. Was he that selfish?

He had always considered himself a good guy, but this was taking things too far, and now his mind was in shambles. He couldn’t look at her without guilt sitting heavy in his chest next to the need to be with her.

Even worse was that he knew who could make this better. He knew who could talk sense into him and help him, but he couldn’t tell him.

Hunk. He couldn’t even tell him what he was feeling without exposing Pidge’s real identity, but he was the only person he could ever go to about crazy stuff like this.

The whole thing really sucked. He hated that he couldn’t talk to him, but he would do anything to protect her. _Anything._

Even the dumbest, most humiliating things.

It started at seven in the morning. It was a Saturday, and way too early for his phone to be ringing. Pidge had been up late crying again, and Lance had known, so when his phone when off, he was quick to grab it and silence it before it could wake her up.

His mind was fogged over from sleep and his brain was fried from a test yesterday. His eyes were blurry and he couldn’t see straight, but he managed to read the name that flashed across his screen as it vibrated in his hand.

_Hunk._

Lance could barely register that it was his best friend calling him, but he managed to pull the phone under the blanket with him where it was warm and answer it.

“H-Hello…?” His voice was scratchy and tired from sleep deprivation. Why would Hunk call him this early on a Saturday?

 _“Lance! Lance!”_ His friend called his name hectically into the phone.

“Do you know how early it is, Hunk?” Lance asked him, keeping his voice quiet to avoid waking Pidge.

_“Lance! The principal! T-The dorm advisor! It was a trap!”_

“Hunk, slow down, buddy.” Lance told him, slowly sitting up on his elbows. “What was a trap?”

 _“Dorm room inspection!”_ Hunk finally managed to get out. _“They took my cookies, a-and my expensive chocolate my Nana got from Germany!”_

Well that was a bummer. He really liked those chocolates too, but wait.

Dorm room inspection. Dorm room inspection.

_Dorm room inspection!_

Lance shot up in realization, the last strings of sleep snapping. He looked around the room at Pidge’s stuff, like her clothes on the floor, her notebooks with puppies on them, and remembering the pictures of her and her brother. Plus there was her bath supplies, toiletries, and other incriminating evidence that lead to her being a girl. Stuff that the principal or dorm room advisor couldn’t see.

“Crap, where are they?” He asked, getting up from bed and making his way down the ladder.

 _“They just left dorm two! They’re heading to your dorm now!”_ Hunk exclaimed, followed by a sniffle. He was really upset about that chocolate.

“Alright, I gotta go.” Without waiting for a response, Lance hung up, jumping off of the ladder and letting his phone sit on his bed. He kneeled down on Pidge’s own and shook her awake, hearing a disapproving groan come from her in retaliation. “Pidge, come on! Wake up!”

“Lance, stop…” She whined, tried to roll onto her side to get away from him, but it didn’t work.

“No, Pidge! Come on, get up!” He forced his arm under her head and lifted her up quickly, feeling the resistance and hearing the way she growled at him under her breath.

“Lance, stop it!” She bit out, forcing herself back and slowly looking at him. “What are you doing? It’s too early on a Saturday for this!”

“The principal and dorm room advisor are making their rounds! They’re coming here for a dorm room inspection!” Lance explained to her, watching her eyes light up with energy as she took in the severity of what he just said.

“What?” She gaped at him, looking back to the picture of Matt and her sitting on her shelf.

“You’ve gotta hide your stuff, Pidge!” Lance jumped up from her bed when she realized what all of this meant, reaching back for her frame and undoing the clasps to take out the photo. “What are you doing?”

“The last time Iverson saw me as Katie Holt, I looked just like this! I can’t let him see it!” She held the picture close, too afraid she’d lose it by letting it go. “Where can I hide my stuff?”

“We have to be crafty. They have been doing this for years and are used to every trick in the book.” He told her, heading for the door when he heard a shout. He opened it, looking into the hall and seeing others do the same, wondering what was going on.

“The principal and dorm room advisor are on the second floor! Hide your stuff!” Another student called out into the hall, making sure everyone knew. 

Lance cursed under his breath as tension rose, looking back at Pidge as she frantically grabbed all of her stuff that made her look like a girl. They didn’t have a lot of time left.

“How about under the bed?” She asked, looking around the room frantically.

“No, that’s too easy,” He told her.

“Uh, under the dresser?”

“No, they’ll look there too.” He said, looking for anything they could use. They could get away with things like her notebooks, because nothing was wrong with a guy liking puppies, but things like tampons and pink razors and anything following that rhythm had to be hidden. She didn’t have much, but what she did have couldn’t hide behind a monitor screen of a TV or computer. Not like they had any of those. All they had was their laptops, and that was it.

“How about my backpack?” She asked, reaching down at the same time for her backpack.

“No, they check those too.”

“Are you kidding me?” She barked. “That’s a breach of privacy!”

“They have to make sure you don’t have any porn or anything that goes against the rules.” He assured her, looking under his mattress.

Maybe someone cut a hole into it the previous year to hide stuff? No, nothing. Her mattress came up the same. He knocked along the shelves of their beds. Hollow, but there didn’t seem to be any loose hinges he could pry open to hide her stuff.

They’d check their dresser drawers, the bathroom, shower, under their bed, behind their desks, in their desks, and everything else he could think of.

They were running out of time, and very little options were given to them to hide her stuff. She was looking just as much, but nothing seemed clever enough to hide from them.

Maybe they could make their room a mess. A huge, huge mess. If it was bad enough, maybe they’d just glance around and get them in trouble for the mess?

No, that wouldn’t work. They’d look through everything to be sure. They had been doing this for years after all. So what could they do? Where could they hide her things from them?

Maybe Lance could simply distract them? Maybe he could do something or _have_ something that would get him in trouble enough that they’d move on, but what?

A thought struck the teen hard. There was only one thing that even had a shot of doing that, but he’d have to go get it, and quickly.

“I’ll be right back!” He told her before darting out of the room. He heard Pidge call after him, telling him to come back, but he couldn’t. He had no time.

He darted to the emergency stairwell and ran down, but stopped short on the second floor. He curiously peeked through the window in the door to see everyone standing outside of their rooms. The victims at hand weren’t far off, visibly nervous and sweating as Iverson walked out with a small basket that had food in it, and one of the students to the room read guilty as he stood as still as a statue.

Lance cursed again before running down the stairs. He didn’t have time to be wasting watching people get caught. He ran out of the stairwell on the first floor and out of the dormitory, darting quickly to the first dorm

It was far, and he was panting by the time he got there. Thankfully where he needed to be was on the first floor, or he’d fall flat on his face with exhaustion.

He stopped outside of the room, huffing to gain back the air he was missing and banged his fist into the door. There was a pause, some shuffling from inside the room, presumably whoever it was getting up before the door opened.

“Well, well,” The teen behind the door said, looking disheveled from inspection and equally sleep deprived, but otherwise surprised. “It’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen you around, Lance.”

“H-Hey Rolo,” Lance greeted him, taking in his fussy blonde hair and impressions of blankets against his arm.

“What’s up, man?” Rolo asked, leaning against his door.

“I need porn,” Lance stated bluntly. Too bluntly, and by the look that overtook Rolo’s tired expression, it took him by surprise.

“Uh… Why?”

“Cause I do!” Like he was going to give him the actual reason why he needed it. He didn’t care what Rolo thought of him (at least not right now), so long as it meant he’d keep Pidge’s identity a secret.

“Alright, man. No worries,” Rolo assured him as he turned his back to him and went into his room. “What do you like?”

“Uh…” Like he had an answer to that. The topic of sex was never one properly discussed at home, and while he knew the ins and outs, porn was punishable by five laps around the house and ten minute planks. It was just a no no. “Anything?”

“Well do you like hardcore-?”

“For the love of all that is good and decent in the world, don’t finish that sentence.” Lance pleaded with him. “Please just get me whatever you have. I know you hid it from inspector gadget and his minion.”

“Alright,” Rolo wasn’t the type of guy to pry, much like Hunk. He shrugged his shoulders lightly as he rolled his chair from his desk to the middle of his room under his overhead light and stood on it. He untwisted the cover, letting it fall loose into his hands and looking inside. Lance watched in morbid surprise as Rolo pulled out a few magazines rolled up from inside of it, along with a few pictures he didn’t care to look directly at.

If only Lance and Pidge had that in their room. This wouldn’t have been happening if that were the case. It would have been such a simple solution too.

“Here,” Rolo offered, handing him the pornographic magazines. Lance flushed bright colors at the small glance he got of the cover, looking away to keep the decency while taking it from him.

If his mother had known he had done this, she’d be digging his grave right now.

“Thanks. I can’t promise I’ll bring them back though.” Lance warned him just before turning around and leaving the room.

Once again another shout of his name called after him, telling him to come back, but he couldn’t. They’d never know these were Rolo’s, and so long as it kept Pidge safe, he didn’t care. So long as he could distract them from her own stuff.

Lance darted once again across campus, the magazines held under his arm under his pajama shirt. His breathing became labored once more, sweat clinging to his fringe and sticking his shirt to his back.

The cold chill was not enough to keep him from sweating. In fact, it only made him breathe harder to get himself where he needed to be as he flushed from exertion. He had just showered too.

He made it back to his dorm faster than he ever had been late to class. He ran up the stairs again, his vision blurring as he made it to the third floor, and not a moment too soon. He entered the hallway just as the room beside theirs was getting its inspection, and everyone was out of their rooms. All except for Pidge, which made the evidence even more incriminating.

Lance scurried to his room, sliding in while Iverson and the dorm room advisor were next door to find Pidge rushing to clean her mess. What she had done with her stuff had yet to be discussed, but while her back was turned away, Lance quickly stuffed the magazines into his pillow case, sticking out ever so slightly to be noticeable.

He knew better than to leave them there. Anyone with a working pair of eyes, or in Iverson’s case, _eye,_ would see them, but that was the point. Whatever kept them from finding Pidge’s stuff, and hopefully getting them to leave faster.

“Where did you go?” Pidge bit out, her voice laced with panic. “I needed you here!”

“I know, Pidge, and I’m sorry, but I can’t explain right now.” He told her. “Where’s your stuff?”

“It’s in-”

Pidge stopped when their door opened without permission or a sign that they were coming in, and come in they did.

Principal Iverson stood a grand six foot four, towering over the two teens easily. His stance straight and precise as any man with military background would stand. No hair, with one eye covered with an eyepatch. He was a sore sight for eyes that made blood run cold.

Beside him stood the dorm room advisor, looking too happy for this sort of situation. He looked smug as he looked about the room, his hands full with a basket of his own that had everything from food, to porn, and even a mini conventional oven.

Whoever lost that was clearly suffering.

“Do you two not know the rules?” Iverson asked them, his deep voice shaking them both. “You’re to be outside of your rooms during inspection. No one is an exception.”

“S-Sorry sir,” Lance apologized, grabbing Pidge’s shoulder and pulling her towards the beds to get them out of the way. She felt tense against his grip, almost as if she were fighting against him, and he knew why.

She already had a vendetta against him. As far as he knew, this was the only time she had full interaction with him, and judging by past experiences with her brother and father, she already hated him.

He wanted to grab her hand and remind her that everything would be okay, but he had to wait. Not yet.

“Let’s see what we’ve got going on in here,” The advisor mused as he set down the basket to walk around, looking about all the visible surfaces of the room. Iverson began his walk to closely inspect everything. “Why oh why would you be in here against the principals rules?”

That was a rhetorical question not meant for a real answer.

So it began.

They watched with baited breath. Lance watched her. He watched her expression, waiting for the time where she’d tense up or take in a deep breath. Waiting to see the physical reaction to when they got close, because he still didn’t know where she hide her things, and all he had to go on was her reaction.

Iverson began opening up drawers, looking inside them, and even going so far as to lift papers and books out of the way to check everything. He even opened up a few to shake them out and find out if anything was in them, but nothing.

Lance momentarily wondered what Pidge did with her picture of her and Matt.

The advisor bent down, looking under the bed, and then leaning over to look over the side.

“There’s a lot of trash here that needs to be thrown out.” He remarked, and Lance knew she was silently cussing him out. He could see it in her eyes.

“My apologies,” She replied, but not without a hint of sarcasm that didn’t go unnoticed. However, it seemed it was only taken in by the advisor. Iverson must have heard just about every sarcastic retort in the book by now.

They continued their thorough search. The advisor checked behind Pidge’s nightstand while Iverson went into the bathroom, looking around. When nothing came up under their razor sharp radar, Lance looked back to Pidge as Iverson started checking the floor boards. He noticed the way her eyes widened just the slightest, her shoulders stiffening.

He was getting closer.

The older man came up on the vent next to her desk, still tightened to the wall, but shut. She stiffened again, and that told Lance where she had hidden her stuff. Everything of hers was in the vent, and how she managed to get it off of the wall he wasn’t sure, but it was back on with tightened screws, and it was closed. That was a cause for concern in his eyes.

He bent down, hands pulling at the edge’s, as if looking to see that it would come loose, but it didn’t. When it didn’t, his hand reached for the knob that would open the vent, not by much, but enough so he could see inside-

“Well, well, look what we have here.” The advisor chimed, stealing everyone’s attention, including Iverson’s.

It worked like a charm.

Lance looked back, letting out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding when the advisor dropped from the railing of Lance’s bed, his muddied feet scuffing up Pidge’s bed sheets, which did well to make her frown horribly. He held up the magazines Lance had poorly hidden, as if showing them off to the world in a disgusting manner and proving that he had indeed kept something like this in his room. The pictures on the front did well to make him flush, but Lance didn’t miss the way Pidge squeaked in surprise, her eyes adverting in horror.

Oh. That’s right. She was fifteen. She probably hadn’t looked at a lot of porn yet.

Matt was going to murder him in the most painful way possible.

“Uh, oops?” Lance uttered, his shoulders shrugging. He’d need to act better than that if it meant getting them out of this room.

“McClain,” Iverson said his name in a tone that did well to make Lance’s blood run cold. “You know that porn is strictly prohibited on school grounds.”

“Y-Yes sir,” He uttered, dropping his head in a way that showed he was truly guilty for breaking the rules, even though it wasn’t his.

“Is there anything else?” He asked him, taking the magazines from the advisor and tossing them in the basket by the door.

Rolo definitely wasn’t getting those back.

“N-No sir.” He mumbled. “That’s all of it.”

Whatever it was about his words or his posture seemed to be enough for them, because it seemed to be the end of their investigation. The advisor bent down to pick up the basket that was heavier than when they got there while Iverson turned his back on them, prepared to leave.

“I expect you in my office at the end of the day, McClain.” He told him. Lance made a small, disgruntled sound under his breath.

He knew he was going to get in trouble for this, and what the punishment would be, he wasn’t sure yet. However, his plan had worked. Pidge’s identity was safe, her stuff was safe, and the two older men left them, letting the door shut behind them to leave them in a tense atmosphere the situation had become.

Lance sighed heavily, dropping down onto Pidge’s bed to let the energy disperse from his body. He took a couple of deep breaths, letting relief wash over him at the idea that she was safe. She could live in this school another day to complete her mission. She could-

“Uh… Lance…?” She uttered, shifting her weight from one foot to the other in an awkward, small dance of sorts.

“Yeah?” Lance’s shoulders sagged as he looked up to her, taking in her flushed expression and her hands tightening by her hips, her foot idly scratching the back of her leg. It looked like she was trying to distract herself.

“Uhm, it’s not like I don’t expect you to do that… _That_ sort of thing…” She mumbled, momentarily motioning to the door with her head. She scratched at her neck awkwardly. “But uh… Y-You’re into… _That_ kind of stuff?”

It took Lance a moment to realize what it was she meant by that. It wasn’t hard to guess, but it took longer, because his brain felt too fried to register much else.

She assumed that those magazines actually belonged to him, and that he enjoyed reading them. She believed he was like any regular teenage boy with regular teenage boy needs, but the images on the front of the magazine had been more than the regular scenarios that she must have known of, and surely situations he himself wasn’t comfortable with.

She didn’t know that though. She just thought he was into it, and the idea itself was horrifying.

Okay, so he hadn’t thought this plan through entirely.

“Oh no!” He gaped, standing up and shaking his hands at her. “No, no, no, no, no, no!” He couldn’t say that word enough, and it seemed to be the only word he could say.

How was he going to talk himself out of this?


	10. Not for Kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're thinking. "What is Misty doing uploading on a Wednesday?"  
> Actually, you're probably thinking about Season 5's trailer dropping and making us all scream, but that's okay.  
> So I'm uploading this and Day by Day chapter 2 today, because I'll be at Katsucon all weekend. :) I'll be leaving tomorrow, and I'll be so busy packing and getting ready, driving, and then cosplaying (Possibly causing some trouble, but eh) that I won't have time to upload. So here you guys go! :D  
> -Misty  
> P.S. I hope you have an awesome Valentine's Day!

September was gone before they could blink, and October was much the same. Since the incident with Rolo’s magazines (and they were being called that to save Lance some dignity), there was quite a bit of awkwardness between him and Pidge. It had gotten better over the extended period of time, but there was that undeniable threshold he couldn’t seem to get past.

Since they had seen Matt and before the dorm room inspection, that barrier was gone. Lance felt like he had finally gotten through to her, but then _that_ happened, and now he was back to square one. Standing at the drawing board and trying to create a plan to move forward with her before it was too late.

_Again._

Lance hated this. More than anything, he wanted things comfortable. He wanted things normal. Whatever that meant for him and Pidge had to be something different than discomfort and walking on thin ice, so any opportunity presented to them to help bond them together he’d take.

That meant anything.

“Hey Pidge!” Lance was as effervescent as ever as he barged into the room, his eyes quickly finding her on her bed with her laptop in her lap. Based on what he saw from the screen, she was watching something educational. Something very Pidge-like with a video of some plants, which made no sense to him, but that didn’t matter.

The smaller teen startled like she had been caught reading her own porn, jumping in place as she looked up at him, and then relaxing when she realized it was just him. Only now did he see that she was wearing headphones. Big green ones that covered her ears and made her hair stick out all over the place. Or rather, stick out more than usual.

“Oh, hey Lance.” She greeted, sounding a bit tired, or dare he think, sounding a bit down. “You just have to steal attention when you walk into a room, don’t you?”

“Is there any other way?” He asked with a smirk, though he felt giddy.

“For you? No,” She replied with a small smile, her eyes turning back to her computer to pause the video she had been watching before taking off her headphones.

“You got any plans for tonight?” He asked her, coming up to sit on the edge of her bed.

“Uh, not really.” She uttered, setting her laptop beside herself. “Why…?”

“Well, you do now!” He cheered, pushing lightly at her shoulder. “Dorm one is having a party before winter break, and everyone is invited. Food, drinks, good music, and dancing.”

“Uhh…” This time her pause was a bit longer, her legs shifting uncomfortably. “No thanks…”

“What…? Why not?” Lance asked her, his smile dropping instantly, much like his excitement.

“That sounds… Like it’s not my type of thing.” She offered.

“You shouldn’t worry about that, Pidge. We’d just be going to relax before exams.” He explained, but then something seemed to click in his head as he watched her look away shyly. “… Have you… Ever been to a party?”

“No,” She replied honestly.

“Not even a birthday party?”

“When I was younger, yeah, but I’m pretty sure parents invited me, not the kids.” She explained sheepishly.

Sometimes he felt guilty for her past experiences with schoolmates and bullies. He had nothing to do with any of that, but he felt the need to apologize for them on his behalf. He just hated knowing she had been so left out.

“Well then consider this your first party! Come on, Pidge! Enjoy being a teenager,” He pushed at her shoulder again.

“I only know you and Hunk though.”

“And your Lancey Lance will be there every step of the way.” The sarcasm seemed to be appreciated for once as she smiled lightly. “Don’t worry, Pidge. I’ll be right beside you, and if you really don’t like it, we can leave.”

“I wouldn’t want to ruin your fun though.” She frowned at that.

“Pidge, if you aren’t having fun, I’m not having fun.” He assured her, his hand pressing into his chest. “So let’s go have some fun.”

She finally smiled again, seeming to perk up more at the thought that she wouldn’t be alone, with at least one friend there to make sure she wouldn’t have a bad experience.

“Okay…”

* * *

Apparently being a teenager was a harder task to accomplish than Pidge had originally predicted.

“There’s a lot of people here.” She said, her voice barely revealing the actual anxiety she felt seeing all of the male students standing just outside of the dorm. She did well to hide the tremble in her body, but she couldn’t deny that it was scary. However, she was glad it was colder out, November weather making it easy to simply pass it off as her being cold than scared.

Lance seemed to be able to read her as if she were an open book though. One look to the side at the smaller teen and he could tell by the subtle shake in her shoulders and the anxious look in her eyes that this was a whole new experience she wasn’t used to. She had been okay to go so long as she knew he was there, and even after being asked if she was truly comfortable with going, she agreed. Now the real truth shined through, and he wondered if he had pushed her into this too much.

“Hey,” He said, brushing up against her side lightly. They both heard a couple of shouts from inside, something that sounded a lot like a contest that had been won. “If you really don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. I’ll take you back, and we can do something else.”

Pidge could never say that she didn’t appreciate his inclusive view of her, because that would be a big, fat lie.

She appreciated it more than she could put into words that he didn’t think once about leaving her behind. She soared knowing he’d take her back if she really wanted to go, and even stay to do something else with her instead of coming back to the party and hanging out with his other friends.

The problem was, however, that she wanted to do this. It was a party, and while she was scared, there was some sort of thrill to being at her first party. A party filled with teenagers, not kids, running around and crazed, letting off steam from exams. There was an anxious hope that things would go well, that she would actually have fun and experience something she never had the chance to do, and that’s what she wanted. She wanted to be able to do these things while she still could, because, once she got what she needed, she’d have to leave, and that meant going back to her regular school with regular people and bullies who wouldn’t give her the time of day otherwise.

She _wanted_ to do this.

“No, I’m okay.” Pidge assured him, the shake in her body lessening quickly as she looked up to him. “Really,” She added.

“Alright,” He smiled at her, moving ahead to walk inside and get himself out of the cold. “Let’s go.”

“Alright,” She beamed and ran up to him to catch up. He looked back expectantly, and she stopped to adjust herself and walk with bigger strides, her shoulders hung lower, and her hands stuffed in her pockets. It wasn’t really a manly stance, but that was all they could come to the conclusion of that would make her look more like a man.

Being a man, she had come to conclude, sucked.

The two of them walked in together, and nearly jumped back out when two taller teenagers ran past them, jokingly pushing at each other, one of which who had an empty cup in his hand. Pidge had to hold herself back from jumping behind Lance.

The music was loud and blaring, people standing in groups and chatting and covering up the already loud music. There were small bags of chips being tossed around, and somewhere down the lobby, a guy, was handing out bottle of sodas from a cooler.

“Wow, looks good this year.” Lance uttered, to which Pidge looked up at him curiously.

 _“What?”_ She yelled over the music.

“I said this looks good!” He yelled back, putting a hand over the side of his face to enhance his voice. She seemed to catch that, looking back to the party.

“Is this everyone?” She asked loudly, watching some boys jumping on the dining table to dance in a horrible manner. She really hoped they didn’t dance like that in public settings.

“Not yet! It’s too early for everyone to be here!”

“Holy crow…” Pidge mumbled, far too quiet for even herself to hear. “T-There isn’t any alcohol here or anything like that, is there?”

“No,” Lance shook his head. “Two students got booked for bringing that last year! I already see Iverson up on the banister watching everyone!” He pointed towards the principal, making his presence known.

“If that happened, why let the party happen?”

To that, Lance could only shrug his shoulders. He assumed it was because it helped everyone loosen up, which took stress off of the tests, which ultimately got them better grades, but he figured that would have been the end of it. He assumed that if someone tried again, that meant that there wouldn’t be any more crazy parties following this.

“You hungry?” He asked, and she nodded. “Cool! Let’s go get some food!”

Lance moved forward through the already dense crowd that was not the whole school, Pidge following close behind, trying hard to act like a guy, but finding herself shirking away from it all. All of those “lessons” Lance had given her had definitely proven that she really did walk closed off from others, and the itch to do it now was intense. She needed to break that habit in order to strengthen herself, and she knew it, but it was better said than done.

She did as best as she could, following close until he found a table with a bunch of snacks and drinks laid out, all already messy and spilt, crunched, and destroyed. The teenage boys had done a number on it, which probably explained why people were handing stuff out. There was still a few bowls with something left in them, as well as empty cups that Lance took in lieu of the full ones, handing her one and telling her that they’d get a drink from the guy at the cooler.

Better to be safe than sorry.

Pidge’s eyes wandered over the table at the snacks, but the only choices she would have picked had only a bit of chips left. Everyone had taken all of the good stuff, so she would just have to wait for a lucky hit to the head with a small bag of chips.

“Looks like they got all of the good stuff already,” Lance spoke up, but not loud enough.

“What?” She asked again, making him roll his eyes. Lance leaned down, cupping a hand over her ear and leaning in closer. Closer than Lance’s face had ever been to hers, and the idea made her flush.

“I said they took all of the good stuff.” He told her, his voice gentle to avoid bursting her ear drum. Pidge nodded, turning her head in hopes that he couldn’t see the red hue blossoming on her cheeks.

“O-Oh…”

“You okay?” He asked her.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good!” She ran her fingers over the cup as a small, poor distraction. “J-Just overwhelmed,” She added.

Lance smiled, as if her answer seemed to do something for him. Instead of trying to help her relax or assuring her verbally that everything would be okay, he took her cup and set both his and hers down. He then took up her hand, pulling her closer towards the group in the middle of the room that were dancing like idiots, excluding the ones on the table. They strayed closer towards the outside of the circle of teens, but close enough where the music was the loudest, and letting her go.

“What are we doing, Lance?” She asked, her throat hurting from how loud she had to talk.

“Dance with me!” He replied, his weight shifting, his shoulders shaking, and she realized quickly this was just a small dose of his dancing. It was much tamer than everyone else’s.

“What?” She yipped, barely heard. “No way! I can’t dance!”

“Look around you, Pidge!” He motioned around them, picking up her arm to bring her closer. “You think anyone here can dance?”

Well, not really. If this was dancing, she was afraid. Truly, truly afraid by what she was seeing and hoping she would never see her brother do even half of the things these guys were doing.

Except that he went to this school, and he might have attended one or two of these.

The mental image was both horrifying and funny.

“Literally no one is judging anyone! We’re just having fun and letting go of stress, so just do that!” He told her, pulling her arm around to get her moving. “Let loose for once, Pidge!”

The teen staggered a bit, her eyes wandering over all of the guys around her. She wasn’t used to this kind of situation before, but this was what she wanted. This was an experience she wanted to have, so what was stopping her from doing just that?

Pidge mumbled something incomprehensible under her breath before shifting, her shoulders moving from side to side. She wasn’t a good dancer, and she didn’t think ballet, which her mother forced her to do when she was a kid, would save her here, but no one was looking. Lance had been right. These guys were too lost in their own world to notice her in the slightest, whether she was a good dancer or not.

So it would be okay to let go. No more school. No more problems. No more concerns of getting into the systems and getting info.

Just letting go and being in this moment.

She released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, her lips twitching with a smile as she moved. Her hips swayed to the beat of the unfamiliar music, her arm following Lance’s as he continued to pull her along.

“There you go!” He cheered, his own steps picking up in excitement. Pidge chuckled, her eyes lighting up with a giddiness she hadn’t felt unless working on a new project.

This was different. This was new, but it wasn’t bad. This was actually kind of fun, and she found herself following in Lance’s steps as they danced together. She wasn’t sure when he let go of her arm, but when she noticed it was gone, she longed for his touch again. For his hand on her, holding her, maybe even closer than before. Something like that would surely draw in some stares and finger points, so she enjoyed what _this_ was.

Lance’s steps were far more rhythmic than her own though. He was _by far_ a better dancer, his body more attuned to the music, listening and letting it guide him instead of trying to think of what would work in this type of moment. It was quite mesmerizing to watch, and she found her eyes trained on him as he danced.

Pidge was nothing like that. She was clumsy, stepping on her own two feet, and robotic in her movements. This had been the most she had moved in months, and it was freeing, but she probably would never be as good and natural of a dancer as Lance was.

“Loosen up a little, Pidge!” He told her, reaching forward to grab her by the elbows. She quickly stiffened up. “Just feel the music! Let it guide you!”

His hands dropped to her waist, a place that she wasn’t used to being touched. Even when he hugged her, Lance’s hands tended to stray higher in fear of causing miscommunication, but they were gentle against her, not at all threatening, and guiding her instead of forcing her.

Pidge followed in his lead, watching his hips and his arms and his legs, trying to copy his movements, but she felt worse than before. She felt more robotic, like what she was doing was dancing a rehearsed dance she hadn’t yet learned, and was doing anything and everything to keep up.

“No, Pidge…” He pulled her closer, his hands moving just an inch lower. “Don’t do what I do. Listen to the music and let _it_ move _you.”_ He told her. This close up, he didn’t need to yell for her to hear him.

It seemed like this closeness made the music fade. She couldn’t hear it over the pounding of her heart and the blood rushing in her ears. She knew her cheeks were red, but she hoped that could be passed off as the heat of the room instead of what it really was.

“Close your eyes, Pidge. That’ll help.”

“That sounds like a horrible idea…”

“When have my ideas ever been horrible?” He asked, and regretted the words the moment she shot him an expressive smirk. A look that simply asked: _Remember the magazines?_ “Shut up.” He rolled his eyes, his own cheeks tinting pink.

Pidge giggled, but did as she was told to do. She let her eyes slide closed, listening and taking in the unfamiliar music carefully. She felt Lance’s hands move higher again, one hand reaching for her arm to guide her to the music that had a beat that so naturally moved him. She followed at first, trying to get a feel for what he was doing, but somewhere along the way, she lost it.

She heard the music, felt it pounding and vibrating up and through her feet into her chest. She felt her body move naturally, against anything she had been doing previously.

It felt right again. It felt natural, and suddenly every problem in the world was just gone.

“There you go,” The smaller teen opened her eyes, only to see how close Lance had really gotten in such a short amount of time, his hands still on her waist, following her instead of guiding her.

Her mind felt so empty right now, but she couldn’t seem to think beyond a simple question.

“How do you do that?” She asked him, watching as he tilted his head.

“How do I do what?”

“How do you forget people are watching?” She asked again with more explanation. “How do you not care?”

“I don’t forget. I know people are watching,” He admitted, his body movements slowing as the music slowed, preparing for the drop in the beat. “I spent too much of my time caring what people thought before. I learned my lesson.”

“How…?” She asked in disbelief. “How can you just not care?”

“Because no one here is going to remember what we did tonight.” He explained. “Or tomorrow, or the day after that. They won’t remember four years from now, and if I’m being honest, I won’t see even half of these people when we graduate.”

He stepped back a bit as the music hit a high, almost as if he were to twirl her, but they came back together, this time his hands falling lower than before. This time Pidge didn’t stiffen. She let it happen, knowing her cheeks were visibly red, and her breathing was labored, but it was as he said. She didn’t seem to care.

“So what if people give me crap for it later? So long as I enjoy my time and have fun, the only people who matter are the ones who are going to be with me in the long run.” Pidge managed to hold back a squeak when his hands squeezed gently at her sides. “People like you.”

Pidge felt like something was pulling on her and pushing her at the same time, as if looking into his big, blue eyes was forcing her against him.

Or an actual push. No wait, a real push.

Pidge gasped at a sharp pain in her back, falling forward into Lance’s chest as someone collided with her back. Lance caught her effortlessly and kept her standing, shooting a dirty glance to the person behind her who had so carelessly bumped into her.

“Hey, watch it!” The taller teen bit out at them, acting as if Pidge was the one who had been in the way of their dancing. The brunette staggered, her hands gripping at his sweater to keep herself balanced as Lance pulled her away.

“Come on, man. Back off,” Lance growled, his hands tightening around her as she found her footing, but still hadn’t let go.

The unnamed teen squared up at that, standing just a bit taller than Lance, looking a little bit more muscular, with his blond hair styled up to give him a cooler stride. Lance seemed to have no problem standing up to him as well.

“Lance-!” Pidge tried, but she feared the outcome when he didn’t back down.

“You got a problem?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a problem,” He replied. “I’ve got a problem with you pushing my friend!”

“You call that tiny nerd a friend?” He remarked, and Lance sneered before giving him a hard shove, as if to give him a taste of his own medicine.

“Back off,” He warned, but it didn’t seem to be enough.

“Lance, come on!” Pidge grabbed his arm before the blonde could say anything more. “Let’s just go before Iverson sees you two fighting!”

She had a point, but even then he couldn’t seem to look away. The only reason he stopped was because Pidge pulled him back, forcibly yanking him away from the situation.

He would have gotten into the fight, but Pidge was the type of person to back down, and that enraged him. That shouldn’t have made him so mad, but it did.

He could hear the guys behind them over the deafening music. Taunts and harsh names thrown their way as Pidge pulled him through the growing crowd of people, getting him away from them. Getting him away from the people and the noise to breathe and calm down.

Where they ended up wasn’t exactly that, but it would have to do. It was better than going outside in the cold.

“You should have let me handle that, Pidge.” He bit out, yanking his arm from her grasp.

“And let you get in trouble? No way!”

“That guy deserved to have his face punched in!” He barked, and Pidge stepped back. She knew he needed to let off some steam.

“Lance, I appreciate that you stood up for me. I really do,” She wanted to grab his hands, but while he was like this, it was probably best to leave him alone. “But that was a useless situation. It’s better just to forget about it.”

“Forget about it?”

“Yes, forget about it! Remember? You said so yourself that people like him aren’t going to matter tomorrow, or even years from now!” This time she really did grab at his hands, her brassy eyes looking up into his own. “So let it go! He’s not important!”

Ah, he had said that, hadn’t he? He couldn’t go back on his own words. That’d just make him a hypocrite.

Lance sighed, his eyes rolling, but his shoulders slumped in defeat. He looked away, his hands pulling from hers so he could find the nearest chair that wasn’t occupied and sit in it. It was further outside of the growing crowd, where only a few people lingered to have a conversation that could be heard over the music. Pidge sat beside him, looking at him curiously while waiting for his response.

“… Sorry,” He grumbled, looking completely defeated, and not at all happy about it.

“It’s alright,” She reached out to touch his arm. “Like I said before, I really appreciate you standing up for me. It means the world to me, but I’ve learned that some battles are best left as they are.”

“He deserves a good punch to the face.”

“I never said he didn’t.” She argued, her shoulders shrugging. “Here, stay here.” She told him before standing.

“Why?” He watched her take a few steps away. “Where are you doing?”

“I’m going to get us some drinks. Don’t worry,” She assured him, but before he could argue anymore, she disappeared into the sea of people. That was easy for someone as small as her to do.

Lance sighed, leaning back in his chair to take a deep breath.

It was alright. She knew what she was doing. She wasn’t a child, just as she had told Matt, and knew how to take care of herself. She would be fine, and yet he was worried something would happen. She was only going to get drinks, and that was it. He should have been grateful instead of worried.

“Hey Lance!” A voice called out over the pounding music. The brunette looked in the direction of the voice, spotting a few familiar faces heading towards him.

“Hey guys,” He waved an already tired hand in their direction, watching the two teens come up to greet him.

“Hey man,” At first it was Rolo, holding a drink in his hands and lightly swaying to the music.

“Hey Lance,” Hunk greeted, his hand digging into a bag of chips. Leave it to him to have two more poking out from his pockets.

“Hey guys,” He replied again, sinking back into his chair. Rolo plopped down in the chair Pidge had been sitting in while Hunk kept standing.

“What are you doing here all alone?” Rolo asked him, taking off his hat to run his fingers through his short, blonde hair.

“I’m not alone. Pidge just went to get us some drinks.” He explained.

“You managed to get Pidge out of your room?” Hunk asked in feigned astonishment. “That’s an accomplishment, Lance!”

“We’ve been doing well,” The brunette explained, scratching lightly at the back of his neck. “He’s really cool once he opens up to you.”

It was getting harder to check himself about his pronouns. Pidge was a girl, but he needed to remember to never call her by such when other people were around.

“I’m a little confused.” Rolo uttered, looking between the two. “Pidge is your roommate, right?”

“Yeah,” Lance answered and nodded his head.

“He’s the nerd that looks like a kid in first period, right?”

“He’s not a nerd, Rolo.” Lance reprimanded. “He’s really smart, but he doesn’t deserve to be called a nerd.”

To that the blonde shrugged his shoulders.

“Call it what it is, but he’s kind of a nerd.”

“Come on, Rolo, that isn’t fair.” Hunk chided. “Besides, he was homeschool all of his life. He’s not good with the whole public school thing.”

Lance had to fight back the urge to roll his eyes. If only they knew.

“Hey, did you guys see Iverson?” Lance asked them, deciding it was best to change the subject.

“Yeah, we saw him.” Hunk intoned. “He’s got a hawk-eye on this party.”

“Who wouldn’t after last year?” Rolo asked. “I still have a hangover from what I drank.”

“At least you were so drunk you don’t remember dancing on the table screaming in Spanish.” Lance uttered, feeling the embarrassment from what he had done under the influence the year prior, and really without his knowledge. Someone had spiked his drink when he hadn’t been looking, and while he remembered it tasting differently, he thought nothing of it at the time.

His mother had been livid.

He knew better now though, and that was all that mattered.

However, the memory from last year made him all the more concerned, his eyes instantly searched out for Pidge and thinking that it was taking an awfully long time for her to come back with drinks.

What was taking her so long?

* * *

An hour was too long. Ten minutes was long enough, but an hour of not being able to find her had his nerves fried.

Where had she run off to? What happened to her? What is someone found her and found out she was a girl?

If it were anyone else, someone else who wasn’t Pidge and maybe one of his friends like Hunk or Rolo, he wouldn’t have been so worried. They didn’t have a secret they needed to keep hidden, and they had experience in this kind of thing. They knew what they were doing, but she didn’t.

So many thoughts and fears were rushing through his head as he pushed past the huge crowd of teenage boys, his eyes open and searching for her small form probably lost in the sea of students.

He couldn’t help but wonder if those guys that had run into her earlier had done something with her. Maybe they found her and did something to her to get back at him? Maybe she was being hurt or worse, and what was worse? He didn’t even want to think about that.

Maybe she just went back to the dorm. He wanted to think that something happened and she went back to their room, and that she was safe. If he didn’t find her within the next ten minutes (Make it five, because he was too impatient to wait), he’d run back and check. If she wasn’t there, he’d get Hunk and Rolo to help him. He hadn’t said anything before for fear of getting them involved, but this was too much. She needed to show up, and _now_ , or he didn’t know what he’d do.

Lance looked up to the banister where Iverson still stood, looking out over the students. He hadn’t moved since they got here, which was fine by him. He needed him to stay there and not move while he was looking for her. So long as he hadn’t caught her, everything was fi-

Lance felt a small bump on his back, but a pressure that didn’t lift. He looked behind him, feeling the weight increase as he turned until whatever, or rather, _whoever_ , was on his back got off.

“What the-?”

“Oh hi Lance!”

The brunette startled at the voice, watching at the smaller teen narrowly fell against his chest, staggering to stand up straight.

“Pidge…?” He gaped at her, watching her fumble to grasp at his sweater with one hand while the other held up a red cup to avoid spilling it.

“That’s my name! Don’t wear it out!” She beamed at him, her eyes shining with something he didn’t recognize.

“Where have you been, Pidge?” He grasped at her shoulders to keep her still, forcing her eyes on him, even when they couldn’t seem to focus. “I’ve been looking for you for an hour!”

“Wow, chill dude…” She grumbled, her glassy eyes rolling, and her head turning with them.

 _“Chill dude?”_ He intoned, his eyes widening. “What’s your deal?”

“I got no deal,” She uttered. “I got no deal. Just me and my cup! Cup, cup, cup! Hey, you ever notice how weird that word sounds?” She asked him, leaning forward to be closer to him, as if he couldn’t already hear her. “Cu-… Up…”

Lance watched her for a moment longer, wondering what had gotten into her so suddenly before looking to the cup she spoke of in her hand, noticing it was only half full with something.

“What are you drinking?” He asked her.

“I have a cup of sprite!” She cheered, lifting up the drink and nearly spilling its contents.

Lance pulled the drink from her hand, making her whine like a child who was being punished, but he didn’t care. He brought the drink to his lips and took a sip, tasting the sprite she spoke of, but there was something else. Some underlying taste that didn’t belong in sprite, and something he recognized from the year before.

Her drink had been spiked.

“Holy crap, Pidge.” He uttered, looking at her with wide eyes. “Are you drunk?”

“That’s another funny word.” She mused. “Drunk, drunk, drink, drunk. Nope, I’m not drink… I mean drunk…”

“Where did you get this from?” He asked her, keeping the drink arm’s length from her. He wasn’t letting her have another sip of it.

“I went to get some soda for you, but then this guy gave me this and said it was on him… Which is weird, cause it’s not on him…” She tried to rationalize her drunken thoughts. “So like I thought we could share some, but then it tasted good… So I don’t wanna share…”

Pidge tried jumping to get the drink back from him, but Lance was too fast and too tall for her. Not to mention she was far too drunk to actually jump properly and not stand straight when she fell back down.

“Give it back!” She cried out. “I want my drink back!”

“No, Pidge. No more.” He declined, and if he could, he’d pour it out immediately.

“But I want my drink…” Fresh tears sprung to her eyes, the girl whimpering as she stumbled against his chest, her hands clawing at the sleeve of his sweater to get some leverage, but it didn’t work.

“Oh my god…” He grumbled, looking for a place to put it down so he could get her out of here.

“I want it,” She cried, pressing her face into his sweater.

“Pidge, stop!” He exclaimed, taking the opportunity to set it down. “Look, see? It disappeared like magic!”

In her drunken state, Pidge couldn’t possibly figure out that Lance had simply set it down on the table behind her. The teen looked completely bewildered, and it was actually kind of funny to see her teary eyes widened and look amazed.

It would have been funnier if she wasn’t so drunk.

“So cool!” She cheered.

“Shush, Pidge!” He warned her. Pidge brought her hands up to her face to giggle into them. “No, no. Don’t do that. It makes you look like a girl.” He yanked her hands away from her face.

“I’m not a girl,” She said, shaking her head.

“That’s right. You aren’t a girl.” He started leading her away.

“I’m not a boy!” She added on.

“Yes you are-!”

“Can I have everyone’s attention please?” She slurred over the booming music, her body slouching into Lance’s. With so much chatter and the loud music, she only managed to draw the attention of a few people, but a few people was already too many. “I would like to make an anouce- an announcement! I am not a boy!”

Lance froze, his eyes widening in fear. He instantly searched out the few who had heard her, taking in the way their expressions shifted into something more curious. They couldn’t possibly take the words of a drunken girl to heart, could they?

“I am an alien… From another planet!” Pidge burst out into laughter, and quickly did anyone who had focused in on her lose their attention.

Lance sighed heavily, relief flooding through his body, but this wasn’t over. He needed to get her out of here before Iverson noticed a drunk student in the main lobby. He needed to get her out of here before other students started getting drunk, because she wouldn’t be the only victim. They needed to leave, and _now_.

“Where are we going?” Pidge asked as he tugged her through the crowd. “Are we gonna see Santa?”

“Absolutely,” He replied, because he was humoring her until he could get her far from the party.

“I love Santa! Is he gonna get me a present?”

“Well you know what? He’s at our dorm right now, so let’s go catch him so you can tell him what you want.”

He felt like he was talking with a two year old.

* * *

“Please stop singing,” Lance begged of her.

It had taken them forty five minutes to get back to their dorm that normally only took them fifteen. Pidge kept throwing her weight around, kept yelling, _singing_ , and then would stop every now and again to ask about Santa. Where she even got that idea from he wasn’t sure, but he only hoped that she wouldn’t burst out crying again when she found out the fictional man wouldn’t be in their dorm.

“I don’t feel so good,” She uttered, her steps slowing down to so she could balance herself and not make it worse.

“Oh god. Please don’t puke.” Lance pleaded with her. “Just wait until we’re inside.”

“Are we there yet?” She asked, sluggishly following him.

“Almost. Just a few more ste-”

“I don’t wanna walk anymore!” Pidge childishly dropped to the floor, her legs splayed out in front of her in protest. “I wanna sleep!”

“Well we can’t go to bed if you don’t get up!” He argued, but it seemed that she had checked out for the night. She was done doing anything, and going on any longer meant puke in the hallway, which they didn’t need.

So Lance did the only thing he could do at a time like this.

He bent down to the floor where she was, wrapping his arms under her legs and behind her shoulders and lifted her from the floor, picking her up and carrying her towards their door.

“Whoa! The floor is gone!” She gaped, her head dropping against his shoulder.

Lance completely ignored her, carrying her the last few feet to their door and struggling to open it. When he did, he kicked it open, walked into the dark room, and kicked it shut behind him. Pidge stayed quiet, and thankfully said nothing about Santa not being there as Lance carried her to her bed where her laptop sat closed, trash littering the edge as usual, and crumbs on her sheets.

He settled her down gently, careful not to jostle her as he laid her down in her bed, her laptop lightly pushed to the side by his free hand. She settled quietly, but her arms held tight around his shoulders.

“There we go, Pidge. We’re in bed now.” He told her, running a hand against her shoulder in a soothing manner, but when he sat up, she didn’t let go. “Come on, Pidge. Time for bed.”

He managed to uncurl her hands from his sweater, and when she tangled them there he wasn’t sure, but he let her settle against her bed. Pidge rolled over onto her side, groaning lightly as the world began to spin.

“Hold on,” He spoke softly as he scooted closer to her feet to undo the laces of her sneakers. He pulled them off and tossed them to the floor before yanking her duvet back and over her body. Watching Pidge curl under the covers was kind of cute, in a horrible sort of way, and it was horrible, because she was drunk. Any other time would have been fine.

Lance smiled, reaching forward to brush her bangs from her face and tuck them behind her ear. She sighed, her shoulders slumping. From what it looked like, she comfortably fell asleep.

The brunette quietly let out a breath as he stood, prepared to go and get the trash can from the bathroom, but stopped short as something grabbed his belt.

“Lance!” Pidge cried out, her voice bordering a scream.

“Whoa, whoa,” He kneeled down on the bed again, reaching down to set a hand against her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t leave me…” She pleased with him, her voice shaking. It was hard to see in the dark, but he could tell by the break in her voice that she was on the verge of crying again. “Please… I don’t wanna be alone…”

“Okay, okay,” He mumbled, kicking off his shoes and laying down beside her. “See? I’m right here, Pidge. I won’t leave you…”

Pidge cuddled into his chest, her arm draping over it and her head resting on his shoulder. She took in a deep breath and let it out in a deep sigh, relaxing into his side comfortably. Lance felt her breath fan against his skin, smelling horrible, but the sensation made goosebumps rise on his skin.

He needed to wait until she was asleep before he could move again. Pidge had seemed to set up a goal to sleep here and stay here, but that wouldn’t be okay. He had to move, but he needed to wait.

So he let her lay there, wrapping his arms around her with one under her head and the other resting on her waist. His eyes looked up to the ceiling of his bunk, noticing the picture of her and her brother beneath the frame, hidden from anyone’s eyes but his own.

How he hadn’t noticed the resemblance to Pidge’s supposed girlfriend before he wasn’t sure. Now that he looked, he saw that it was clearly her standing next to Matt in the photo, and not Pidge with some other girl. He confided in himself that it was because he hadn’t gotten a very good look the first time he saw the picture, and he’d continue with that argument until the day he died, but for now, he could rest easy knowing the truth, and that the girl in the picture was sleeping soundly beside him.

Sleep didn’t sound too bad right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We getting into the good meat of the story yet? ;D


	11. See You Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't slouch off of my proof reading duties to play Sims 4 all weekend and then nap. *shifty eyes* You have no proof.

Lance was pretty dead to the world when something moved beside him. Something soft, warm, and comfortable that shifted and squirmed. It wasn’t much, but the unfamiliar sensation was something that managed to wake him up and have him sluggishly looking around.

He didn’t see the ceiling, the typical view he woke up to. He saw the planks to the top bunk above him, with a piece of string dangling in his view. He wanted to reach up and pull on it, but didn’t.

Something shifted again, and he looked to the side as weight lifted from his body, along with the warmth.

Pidge slowly sat up on her elbows, her hands coming up to touch her head and tangle in her already messy hair. He heard a small sound come from her; a release of air that sounded like a whimper and a groan at the same time, but he didn’t know what to call that. Lance watched her for a moment longer before speaking, taking in the way she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Hey,” He spoke softly, but not softly enough. She startled and whimpered, her hands pressing over her ears to muffle the sound. “Sorry,” His voice was a dull whisper as he rolled over on his side to set a hand on the small of her back.

“What happened…?” She asked, her voice cracking in pain.

“Someone put alcohol in your drink last night.” Lance explained, sitting up on an elbow. “You were hammered.”

“Oh my god…” She uttered, feeling like she needed to lie back down on her side, but also feeling like she’d puke if she moved even an inch. “I feel horrible...”

“Either you’re a light weight to alcohol or whatever that guy put in your drink was really strong.” He tried to joke, but she was in no mood to mess around.

“My head hurts so bad…” She whimpered. “I feel like I wanna puke…”

“If you really do let me know. I’ll get a trash can.” He offered. Pidge whimpered again, hoping in some way she could make this up to him, but for now she was in too much pain to do anything. “Here, stay here. I’ll get you some medicine for your head ache.”

Lance slowly crawled out of bed, keeping the blanket on her before heading to the bathroom where he kept the small bag of medicine his mom gave him. Headaches weren’t a usual for him, but his mom packed medicine for him just in case. He didn’t think it’d be used in this case, but he was glad he had it.

Lance came back with the medicine and a cup of fresh, cool water. He sat down beside her carefully, holding it out for her and waiting patiently as she moved slowly to get it. She almost looked like a sloth if he were being honest, watching how slowly she moved to take the medicine out of his hands with her own that were clammy. She tried sitting up, but when that proved to be a fruitless attempt, the brunette simply held the water up to her lips.

It took some time, but she managed it down.

“H-How did someone get alcohol in my drink?” She asked. “I don’t remember much…”

“You said someone gave it to you.” Lance told her, hoping to jog some memory. He waited, watching as her eyes stared blankly at the pillow. It looked like she was coming around, remembering certain things and forgetting others.

“I thought he was trying to be nice…” Pidge uttered, looking a little bit lost and upset.

“People tend to do that at parties. I’m sorry. I really should have warned you.” He said, rubbing her back softly. “I thought since Iverson was there they wouldn’t do it again, but I guess not.”

“I can’t believe someone got me drunk. I-I didn’t mean to…”

“I know you didn’t, Pidge. You had no idea, and that isn’t your fault.” Lance slowly leaned back into the headboard, resting beside her while he recalled the party from last year. “It happened last year to me too. I knew they brought alcohol, so I was careful with what I was drinking, but I set my drink down and either it was spiked or I picked up the wrong one.” He retold, watching her eyes slowly lift to see him through her matted bangs.

“What happened after that?”

“My mom got pissed,” He joked with a small laugh. “And I was at the nurse’s office all day.”

“I can’t go there.”

“I know.”

The room fell quiet, the dimly lit area free of tension minus the swell of a headache she had. All she could hear was some muffled chatter next door and Lance’s breathing, which was oddly soothing and relaxing. It was easy to match her own to it, and even easier to breathe through the pounding in her head.

Until she remembered something.

Pidge’s face flushed as she looked up at him, suddenly self conscious of the position she was in, and how utterly bare she felt sitting next to him, even when the two of them were fully clothed. She did think she kicked off a sock in her sleep, however.

“Uhm…” She uttered, attempting against to sit up. It took her some time, but she managed at least to get herself sitting up and leaning against the headboard. “Y-You were in my bed…”

“Yeah…?” Lance stated questionably. In his current position, he didn’t see where she was going with this.

“D-Did we… Uhm…” Pidge grabbed for her duvet and pulled it up, covering her chest. “Did we… _Do_ anything?”

“Huh…?” He sounded, and only a second later realized what she meant. “O-Oh! Oh, no! No, no! That’s not- I-I mean we didn’t do anything!”

Lance waved his hands in front of himself, his voice raising to a point that it hurt her sensitive hearing. She covered her ears with a cringe, and Lance immediately held himself back from yelling any more.

“N-No, we didn’t do anything…” He assured, his voice softening into something easier to listen to. “You didn’t want me to leave you alone, and you looked like you were going to cry, so I just laid down until you fell asleep, but I guess I fell asleep by accident,” He explained, and Pidge took in the words with more embarrassment. “I’m sorry…”

“I… _Almost_ cried?” She mumbled in question.

“Well… You kind of did at the party.”

“Why…?”

“I wouldn’t give you your drink back…” He told her. “But I made it disappear by putting it behind your back on the table, you know, _magic,_ and you started cheering.”

“Oh my god…” She uttered.

“And then I promised you Santa was here and he’d get you presents if you came back here.”

 _“Oh my god…”_ She whimpered into her hands. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“Oh please. That’s nothing compared to what happened to me last year.” He offered, watching as she slowly looked up at him, curious by the words and the possible story to be told.

“What did you do?” She asked.

“I only remember bits and pieces of it, but I remember getting up on a table, dancing horribly, and then started singing in Spanish.” He told the story with a small smile, but it got bigger when she smiled, holding back a giggle.

“You did that?”

“Yep. I think I also tried making out with one of the statues in the main room, and then crying when it turned me down. That one is fuzzy, but Hunk swears I did it.”

“Oh my god,” She laughed lightly, because that was all she could do without shaking her already dizzy frame.

“See? You were nothing compared to me. Although you did announce to the room that you weren’t a boy,” He paused to watch the predicted horror that struck her face. “And admitted to being an alien from another planet.” He let that one sink in, and when the fear dispersed into horrible humor, he laughed with her. “How could you lie and not tell me you aren’t from this planet, Pidge? I thought we were friends!”

“Well you never told me you speak Spanish, so we’re even.” She mused, her voice shaking with more laughter.

“Of course I speak Spanish. I’m Cuban after all.”

“You are?” She asked, bewildered. “But… Y-Your last name…?”

“My dad is Irish.” He explained. “Met my mom on a business trip in Cuba, and boom. Cupid’s arrows right in their butts.”

“What a beautiful tale.”

“A tale as old as time.”

“You’re horrible,” She chuckled.

“It’s punny! Get it? Punny!”

Pidge covered her mouth again to muffle her laughter, blinking back tears of pain and giddiness. Lance beamed at the thought that he got her, Pidge Gunderson, A.K.A. Katie Holt to laugh. This seemingly impossible to know girl laughed at his horrible joke, and it made his heart soar.

He let her settle after that, giving her the time she needed to relax and let the medicine take its full effect. They sat quietly again, this time all tension gone, replaced with a soft hum of the heater in the building running and the sound of more chatter in the hall. Thankfully it was a Sunday, but people were still preparing for finals while packing for winter break.

Neither of them had done any packing. Lance had been too busy cramming, and Pidge was doing… Whatever it was she did on her laptop. Something scientific and linked to her problem with Iverson. Probably some homework too. Just because she was here on a mission didn’t mean she could get failing grades.

That was something to think about, and it did well to make Lance’s mood fall entirely.

She was still here on a mission. She’d leave eventually with the evidence once she got it. It was hard enough thinking they’d be gone, apart and not living together for five weeks while on vacation. It was sorely needed after these last few months, but he was going to miss her.

Did she even feel the same way? Was Pidge even going to miss him the way he was going to miss her, or at all? Would she even care? Would she even _come back?_

Lance was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn’t recognize the extra weight to his shoulder. _Almost_. He felt the way something pressed softly into his shoulder, a light weight just sitting there. He looked down, only to be surprised by the smaller teens head against him, her brunette hair brushing his neck, a gentle, feather like touch.

“Pidge…?”

“Hmm…?”

“You okay…?”

It took her a moment to answer. He watched the way her arms tightened around the blanket she still kept close to her chest.

Eventually she sighed.

“I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for what you’ve done…” She mumbled, slowly looking up. “But really… If it means anything to you, thank you for everything. For taking care of me, for protecting me… I gave you no reasons to do it. I actually gave you a lot of reasons not to do it, but you did anyway…”

Lance wasn’t really aware of it, but he wound his arm around her, and she didn’t even react. She only sat up a bit so he could let it rest behind her on her lower back, his hand sitting on her waist, and that was it. She allowed the contact, and maybe it was because she wasn’t feeling well enough to make a rational thought, but she still allowed it.

“So just… Thanks, Lance. Really… It means the world to me…”

“I’d argue with you, but I’m too tired to do that.” He mentioned with a small chuckle. Pidge felt the vibrations against her head, letting out a sigh. His words seemed to float right over her head. “So… You’re welcome.”

Pidge smiled at that.

“Thanks… For not arguing.”

Lance laughed.

“I can’t win them all.” He offered. “And don’t worry. I’ll keep doing it until you get the evidence you need.”

At those words, he felt her tense up.

“… W-What if I don’t?” She asked, her voice suddenly shaking.

“What do you mean?”

“What if I don’t get it?” Lance sat up slightly to look down at her face. “I can’t go back with nothing, Lance. I’m already dreading leaving for break without anything to show for it…”

“Pidge,” He sat up slowly, still mindful of her condition, and held her shoulders in his hands. “Don’t talk like that. You will find the evidence. I know you will. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

“B-But Matt was right. Trying to hack into the Garrison’s systems is so much harder than I thought from here, a-and I still have to do my homework, and then-”

“Pidge, Pidge,” He reached up and touched her face, bringing her gaze to him and only him. “Don’t think about that at all while you’re home, okay?”

“But how can I-?”

“Just don’t.” He asserted. “Go be with your family. Go enjoy your time with your parents and Matt, and when you get back, let that be your drive to pull off what the whole world can’t do.”

Pidge’s brassy eyes were wide as she looked up at him, taking in the distinct dark blue tone of his eyes, the fine lines of his skin that seemed so smooth and healthy. This was the second time within twenty four hours their faces had been this close, but this time she could take in all of the details, all of the fine hairs around his fringe, or the sharp curve of his nose and chin. Things she didn’t allow herself time to look at normally.

“I know you can do it, Pidge. I’m sure of it, so please don’t worry. Go enjoy your time.”

“I-I…” She stuttered. She felt her cheeks flush while simultaneously thinking that this was not a situation to be embarrassed about. That, and the sudden turning of her stomach gave her a familiar feeling she was far too aware of in this position.

“Actually consider it a break, and when you get back, it’s right back to work.”

“Lance…”

“Nope. Nuh uh. You can and will do it. It’ll be fine!”

“Lance-”

“Stop trying to argue through this, Pidge.” He berated. “Just listen to me, okay? Everything is going to be fine?”

“I’m gonna puke…” She warned, and it was only then that Lance saw the color drain from her face.

“Uh oh,” He jumped up from the bed, yanking the covers back for her and helping her up.

It was a quick and messy stagger to the bathroom, but they made it in time for Pidge to dry heave into the toilet, and only that.

Lance sat with her with his head turned, too squeamish to look as she spit up into the toilet. He rubbed at her back though, barely looking over to make sure her hair wasn’t in her face before looking away again and continuing on.

Vaguely he heard his phone ring from the bedroom, but it was ignored until they got back to her bed so she could lay down. Previous arguments had been forgotten, and she went right back to sleep to ward off the last of her hang over.

Matt was going to kill him for letting his baby sister get drunk like that.

When Lance checked his phone again, Pidge was fast asleep, looking a little less than uncomfortable as before. Only then did he allow himself a moment to recap everything from last night up until now, and to check his messages from his phone.

_Hunk_

_Sunday_

_10:45 a.m._

_“So someone ratted out the guy who had the alcohol at the party last night. Iverson just announced that there won’t be any more parties on campus anymore.”_

Well, wasn’t that a given? Lance could agree after the state that Pidge was in.

* * *

Finals went by a lot quicker than they thought they would, but they were over, and with that came their break. Their five week long winter break.

For some reason, Lance wasn’t looking forward to it. There was still too much to do here, and if he were being honest, he still had a lot to learn about Pidge. That seemed to be a goal he’d come to the conclusion of without realizing it, and now he wanted to stay here. He wanted to stay with her.

That didn’t mean he didn’t miss his family. He missed them like crazy, and was ready to get on that twelve hour long bus ride back home to see them and eat some of his mom’s amazing garlic knots. He wanted to catch up and tell his family of all the crazy adventures he had been on, excluding the one detail about Pidge.

There was another thing. Lying to his family. He didn’t think he could do it, because his father was great at catching lies. Even so, would they trust he knew what he was doing and let him do what he needed to do to help her?

He’d have to be careful about what he’d say around them. He didn’t think any of them would truly spout the truth, and even if they did, they didn’t know anyone or have connections to the school to really start something.

He’d have to be careful with his mom. She’d be livid knowing he was living with a girl without introducing her to the family first.

There were so many conflicting things going through his head as he finished his packing. He wasn’t bringing much home with him. Just his clothes, his facial care, any homework he had over break, his laptop, phone, cords, and anything else along the lines. It wasn’t much and fit into a big suitcase and a duffle bag that he’d carry with him, but it felt empty somehow.

He just didn’t like the idea of leaving. Even if it was only for winter break, and he’d be back to continue his studies and protect Pidge’s identity, he felt like something was being left unfinished. There was something he still had to do, but he wasn’t sure what.

“When does your bus leave tomorrow?” Pidge asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

Lance looked up from his phone, looking to the girl standing behind him, her hands carrying her laptop with a book on top of it.

“Eight in the morning.” He replied with a small smile.

“Right, you have a long trip back home.” She mentioned, looking away and back to her stuff. She was just about packed, and she needed to be finished and leave, because her bus left in thirty minutes.

“Yep, and then my pops is going to drive the last two hours back home.” He explained, setting his phone aside to turn around. “You need help with that?”

“No, I’m almost done. This stuff is the last of it.” She said, putting her laptop away with the book into her backpack.

“Oh…” Somehow that bothered him too. He couldn’t seem to catch a break today. “That’s good. Your bus leaves soon.”

“Yeah, and then I’m there for six hours until I’m home.”

“At least you get to see your family sooner.” Lance remarked, but he noticed the way she tensed at that. She was still upset by going back with nothing, but so long as Matt kept what she did a secret, no one was expecting anything of her. As such, she didn’t need to worry. “Pidge…”

“Yeah…?”

“Please don’t worry,” He pleaded with her. “Everything will be okay…”

“That’s so hard to believe right now…” She admitted, her shoulders slumping. Lance got up from his desk and walked up behind her, setting a hand down on her shoulder.

“It’s gonna happen, Pidge. I promise…”

“Don’t make empty promises, Lance. I hate that.” At that, Lance turned her around.

“It’s not an empty promise. Listen, if I have to jump off a building that’s about to explode like double-o-seven to make it happen, I will.” The joke had its intended effect. Pidge tilted her head down with a small smile, her eyes red like she was about to cry. “I know you can do it, Pidge...”

Pidge sniffled as her head dropped against his chest, fighting back her tears. She hated how sensitive she was about this, but Lance’s words really did make her feel better, even when she felt like she was about to cry.

“Now dry those tears, Pidge. You’re going home to hang out with your awesome family! You should be happy!”

“I am happy,” She said while wiping under her eyes. “B-But I’m scared…”

“Well I can’t tell you not to do that. You’ll do that anyway.” He said, rubbing her arms gently. She smiled again. “But try to make the best of it, okay? At the end of the day, family is most important, and you’ve got to enjoy that time.”

“I know that…” That came out as more of a whine than necessary. “B-But I…”

“But what…?” He bent down to be at eye level with her.

“Stupidly enough… I think I’m just comfortable here…” Pidge muttered before lightly punching at his arm. “I’ll miss having you around.”

“Ah, I knew you liked me.” He mused, and again received another punch to the arm. It hurt a little more than the first, but it wasn’t anything life threatening.

However, the idea that she could admit to missing him had his heart soaring. His mind was racing with thoughts of her saying that, and thoughts of how he wasn’t the only one thinking this. It made him sit squarely on cloud nine.

“You’re tolerable…” She muttered.

“Listen, I know I’m great and all, and so deviously handsome and smart, with great hair and perfect skin, but don’t let that stop you from having a good time.” He assured her with the infamous McClain smile.

“God, you sound like Matt.” She remarked with her own smile.

“Clearly you have great taste in men.” The two of them shared a small laugh, Pidge attempting to punch him again, but she couldn’t do it. She ended up with her arms around his waist and hugging him instead, because this was far better in this type of situation then her regular hit to the arm. Lance seemed to appreciate it too as he wrapped his arms around her, his head resting on top of hers. “You’re gonna be fine, Pidge…”

His voice was soft and gentle, and for a moment she felt like everything would be okay. Even if she didn’t believe in his promise, because promises like that couldn’t be held, she wanted to believe in him that everything would be fine when this was all over.

“Yeah…” She uttered. “Thanks…”

“You needed a pep talk.” His shoulders shrugged lightly as they pulled back to look at one another.

“No, I mean… Thanks… For being my friend.” She admitted, her eyes downcast, and he wasn’t sure, but was she blushing?

“I must be something if I’m considered a friend by the great Katie Holt.” He jokingly said. Pidge rolled her eyes.

“Whatever,” She stepped back, turning away from him and back to her bed to finish her packing. “I’m going to be late, because of you.”

“My farewell present,” He insisted.

“Farewell?” She asked, for a moment looking stricken with worry.

“Well…” Lance thought about it for a moment. “Not really a farewell. That would mean that one of us wasn’t coming back, and you’re coming back, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then it’s more like… A see you later present.”


	12. A Date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for no update last week. I forgot season 5 of Voltron came out last week. I also didn't have this chapter done by the time I would have uploaded it earlier on, so hopefully this nice, long chapter makes up for it. :)  
> -Misty

It was freezing in the dormitory halls, but the heating had been off while the students were gone, and that meant everything was frozen. So late into December meant heavy jackets, thick socks, water proof boots for the slosh that sat on the ground after a heavy snow storm the week before, and heavy duty blankets for bed.

That was fine though. Lance loved the idea after a twelve hour long bus ride, only to come back to a cold dorm. The idea of dropping his suit case and his duffle bag on the floor, breaking out the heavy blankets, and curling into bed sounded so nice.

The universe seemed to have other plans for him, it seemed.

Lance opened the door to his dorm, only to have it catch on something and stopped. He poked his head in, looking around to see the floor covered in clothes from an open suitcase that sat at the base of the bottom bunk.

“Aw man,” A young voice hissed, and he instantly smiled.

Lance pushed his way into the room, moving over some pieces of scrap metal that could belong to what he assumed was a part to a robot in the making. A toy of Pidge’s, and said girl was picking up her suitcase, quietly cussing to herself as she fumbled to shove everything back in. He hid a chuckle behind his hand before shutting the door behind him quietly, acting as if he weren’t there yet.

He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting from the first long break. Maybe he thought it’d feel like years, and that she’d look drastically different, but she didn’t. Pidge was still her short, nerdy self, choppy short hair and all, though she was a little paler. He could only assume that was from the lack of sun, because even he had lost some of the warmth his skin normally had when he spent his time at the beach.

Lance set his suitcase aside before dropping his duffle bag, letting it hit the ground with a heavy thud. Pidge jumped in surprise, quickly whipping around with wide, frightened eyes, and- Was she wearing a headband?

“Need some help?” He asked, watching as the fear rolled off of her, and excitement bubbled within her eyes.

“Lance!” She cheered, and as quickly as she could around the mess, she hopped around everything and jumped into his arms.

“H-Hey Pidge!” He replied just as eagerly, his arms holding tight as he lifted her from the ground. “I missed you too!”

“You have no idea how good it is to see you!” She exclaimed, her voice muffled by his jacket.

“I know you missed this pretty face,” He said as he lowered her carefully to the floor. Pidge looked up at him, her eyes bright and shining with relief as her arms lingered around his shoulders.

“Haha, so funny,” She remarked sarcastically.

“I’m a comical genius.” Lance let his hands sit for just a few seconds longer on her waist before letting her go, allowing her the space she might have wanted. For just a moment, however, he felt like her hands wanted to stay in place before letting go. “So, you need help?”

He repeated the previous question he had, figuring it best to distract from the obvious. Pidge’s eyes looked about the mess on the floor and her bed, looking at her clothes falling from her suitcase and the parts to her project sitting on the floor.

“No…?” She didn’t sound half as confident as she tried to look.

“Yeah, that sounds convincing.” He remarked lightheartedly, his lips lifting in a grin as he pent down to pick up a sweater.

“Shush you,” Pidge stepped back from him and back to her bed where her stuff had fallen, her eyes looking about for _something,_ but Lance wasn’t sure of what. “So how was your vacation?”

“It was great,” He responded as he walked up beside her to toss his bag on his bed. “My whole family was home to see me, and let me tell you, fifteen people in a house not even meant for four was interesting.”

“You have that big of a family?” Pidge asked, her eyes staring up into his curiously.

“Yep,” He exaggerated the word with a pop. “I’m actually the baby in my family. One sister and two other brothers.”

“Holy crow,” She remarked, clearly taken aback.

“And then of course the ones who don’t live there anymore stayed for a few days, along with my cousins from Cuba. My grandad from Ireland even came for a visit!”

“Sounds like you had a busy vacation,” Pidge’s smile was honestly a sight for sore eyes. “How were the holidays?”

“Busy, but overall good. I even got this cool jacket,” Lance shrugged his shoulders a bit to motion towards the heavy denim sitting on his shoulders.

“And a nice jacket it is,” She chided. Lance leaned against the ladder of their bed, his eyes watching as she slowly unpacked her stuff. Everything seemed very reminiscent of the first time they met, except with the exception that she no longer hid some of her more girly items, and she wasn’t shirking away from conversation. She actually seemed to enjoy herself as he talked too.

“So how was your vacation?”

And just like that, the smile on her face dropped.

Lance saw the way she stiffened up, her shoulders lifting as she stilled. Her hands sat at her backpack, unmoving, but her eyes betrayed how quickly she tried to play it off.

“It was good…” She turned her head to the side like there was something more important there than there was in front of her, or even to the side where Lance stood.

His arms slowly uncrossed from his chest, feeling the tension getting thicker the longer he stood and stayed quiet.

“… Just good?” He asked her.

“Yeah…” This was followed by a sigh.

“You don’t seem too happy about that…” Lance mentioned, watching as she slouched a bit.

“… W-We had to give my dog to a friend…” She spoke quietly, her voice straining against the swell of tears burning at her eyes. “C-Cause we can’t afford to take care of him…”

“Oh Pidge…” Lance uttered, reaching out to rub her shoulder lightly. “I’m so sorry…”

“T-They said they’d take care of Bae Bae until we can take him back… But…”

“You still had to do it…”

Her situation at home was getting worse. Her vacation was meant as a time of peace and quiet. To enjoy herself with her family and unwind after exams, but the constant reminder of the bad place her family was in was only weighing her down more. Matt wasn’t making enough to support their family by himself, and it didn’t sound like Sam had gotten a job. He wasn’t sure if her mother worked or not, but whatever was going on clearly wasn’t enough.

It was only falling apart, and the guilt of being home without success must have been killing her.

“Yeah…” Pidge sniffled, wiping at her eye when tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. Lance gave her shoulder a light squeeze, a small reassurance, because he didn’t know what else to say that could make this better.

There wasn’t much he could do.

* * *

Lance was only half asleep when he heard it. The small sniffles and sobs quietly muffled by a blanket.

The telltale signs of crying.

He rolled onto his back, now more awake than he had been earlier as he listened to her from the bunk below. The ceiling was speckled with light from outside, dusted with shadows of falling snow, but not enough for him to really see anything beyond that.

He didn’t need to see her to know she was crying. He had heard it before in the weeks prior to their vacation, but it had never hurt him so much as it did right now. It killed him to hear her cry out her frustrations and guilt. To know that she was blaming herself as her family struggled to stay afloat, and while Lance could talk to her and keep her company, there wasn’t much else he could.

That in itself made him feel guilty. More than anything he wanted her to be happy, and somehow that made him feel guilty. Whatever he could do he wanted to do, and he wanted answers so he could help her. He knew there wasn’t much he could do in his position, but what?

Lance could really think of one thing to do, and he was doing it before he could think twice.

He slowly crawled out of his sheets, his legs feeling like lead as he moved to climb down the ladder. It was dark, and his feet staggered to find each peg until his feet touched the cold, wood floor.

He could barely see, but he saw her shivering outline in her blankets covering even her head. She must not have heard him or noticed his presence beside her, but that was okay. He leaned down anyway, pressing a hand into where he figured her shoulder was while kneeling against her mattress.

Pidge startled, sitting up with wide eyes that could barely see Lance’s form. She saw his silhouette, his hand not straying from her shoulder, even as she turned to face you.

“L-Lance…?” She mumbled, reaching up to touch his hand. Her voice shook from her crying, broken and defeated. She was too tired to mask it with something other than pain.

“Scoot over…” He whispered softly, pushing lightly at her shoulder to emphasize his words.

Pidge did so without any question, moving closer to her wall so Lance could crawl under her blanket and sit next to her.

It wasn’t a question as Lance looked to her in the dark, and Pidge didn’t question the actions, nor did she ask to move forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding tight as the two of them leaned back into the bed with Lance’s arms firmly wrapped around her, one hand at her waist while his arm acted as a pillow. His fingers carded through her short hair, a small, comforting gesture, and he knew it was needed as he felt the subtle shake in her shoulders.

Pidge buried her face into Lance’s neck as she let her tears out, her frustrations and anger, and the guilt that weighed heavily on her shoulders. Her pain that kept her up at night the entire time she was home. Listening to the arguing and bickering of her parents about money, the house, and everything that came with it.

At least this time she wasn’t alone.

* * *

Pidge had long eyelashes. That was something Lance had taken in from staring at her face, barely illuminated by the sun peeking in through the curtains.

It was only six thirty. It was far too early for anyone to actually be up, but Lance was awake anyway. Despite being a heavy sleeper (he needed to be with such a large family), he felt even the slightest of movements from Pidge when she curled up into his side, her arm draped over his chest while the other one was pressed into her own, her small fist curled up by her lips. Her eyes were closed softly, and Lance took in the small details of her face he never got the chance to see, or even permitted himself to look at.

Her soft, pale skin. The bags under her eyes. Her long lashes. The little twitch at the corner of her thin lips, which could only mean she was dreaming of something. Lance hoped it was interesting.

The way her bangs curled in her face, barely grazing her eyes, but long enough to cover her thick brows. The roundness of her cheeks, most likely still “baby fat” as his mother called it. She said he’d grown out of it these past few months while he was away.

The weight against his chest and shoulder, and the feeling of her breath fanning against the skin of his collar bone and chest. There was a calmness to it he’d never felt before, and for a while he wished they could just stay like this. He wished they would never have to get up, and he could lay like this with her, keeping her happy from the grief and struggle she was going through. He hated seeing her cry, and he hated even more knowing that there really wasn’t anything he could do to alleviate the situation besides stay by her side.

He wished there was something he could do. _Anything_ , but at least he had this moment right here. This one, quiet moment where he realized something he had been unconsciously denying this whole time.

He liked her. He really, _really_ liked her. More than just a roommate, more than just a friend, and more than he probably should have.

He couldn’t keep lying to himself anymore about this. He liked her a lot, but with this realization seemed to bring about thousands of questions and even more confusion.

Part of him had known for a while that he liked her. It was a given, but he wasn’t sure when the exact moment happened. Part of him feared it was when he found out she was a girl, because he felt it very hypocritical of him.

He started liking her, because she was suddenly a girl?

Lance really just never looked at her the way he looked at other girls. The very stereotypical girls. The ones with long hair, caked on makeup, who wore skirts and dresses and heels and showed interest in things that were, quote on quote, _girly_. Pidge was none of that, and he really never showed an interest in any of her robots or projects, any of the math or science she spoke of until she _became_ a girl.

He thought better of himself, even when his targets for flirtatious remarks were all girls of that nature, but he never tried to flirt with her. It was always witty retorts that she could fire back just as easily, and chatter about random things that passed the time.

It was nice. It was _normal,_ but he was starting to realize that they too were passing the threshold of normal into comfort.

He took comfort in her presence. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her while he was home, and he wondered if she thought of him at all while she was with her family. She had said she had missed him, but what did that mean for her? For all he knew, it meant something completely different for her than it did for him.

He was happy when she was around, and glad there was someone who could stand on his level of sarcastic jokes, but also enjoy them. He was glad she was able to reciprocate them, even when she was on a whole different level of knowledge than he would ever be. Pidge was smart, sure, and sometimes she talked in a way that made him feel dumb, even when he wasn’t, but she didn’t make him feel that way on purpose. She didn’t put herself on a higher pedestal, because she was smarter, and didn’t think any better or any worse of herself, because she was a brainiac at fifteen.

She was just her. Just Pidge, his friend, and now, as Lance watched her sleeping form laying against him comfortably, someone he saw and wanted a future with.

Probably more than anyone else he had looked at before.

Before, Lance had thoughts of flying. He wanted to be a pilot, and to lead a team somewhere far into the galaxy, just as Matt, Sam and Shiro had done. He envied them greatly because of this. This was something he had wanted since he could remember, and that hadn’t changed at all, and only intensified when he’d look up at night to the stars, moon, and space, and think about the adventures with his team.

Somewhere along the road, the image morphed.

He still wanted to go out there. That hadn’t changed, but a certain face of his teammate seemed to take shape and form, and only now did he recognize it as her.

He imagined her at his side quite frequently, thinking about her as a partner in his expeditions, and hanging out long after school was finished. He imagined meeting her whole family in person, not just Matt and not under bad circumstances. He’d love to meet the people who raised her into this incredibly smart and talented girl. Both of them were probably braniac’s too.

He even imagined at one point that she’d meet his family. All of them, and everyone would love her. His mom would probably fawn over her, telling her she was pretty, and ask if she’d make an honest man out of him. His father would be impressed of her academic achievements, and would later on tell him that he had a really awesome girl at his side.

His sister, the incredibly girly girl that she was, would try her hardest to chat with Pidge about shopping or nails or boys, and Pidge wouldn’t understand much of the attractions. Veronica would probably be annoyed with her and eventually give up.

Luis and Marco would never let him hear the end of it. They’d pick on him and tease him, telling him that Lance McClain, the ladies’ man, finally got “nailed down” (And they would use that term in a horrible fashion), by a girl who wasn’t his usual cup of tea. Lance would probably want to leave because of them.

God help Pidge if his grandmother got a hold of her. She’d sit there in her wheelchair and pinch Pidge’s cheeks, telling her she better give her great grandbabies before she dies.

The second hand embarrassment just from his thoughts was horrific at best.

However, did Pidge think anything like he did? Did she imagine meeting his family, staying by his side, even after school?

Did she even see a future of the two of them together like he did?

Were her ideas of her own future changing to include him? Or did she still keep her mind focused on her one and only goal, just to leave him behind and never see him again?

The idea of being left behind hurt. It hurt way worse than he could have imagined.

At the beginning of the year, had he thought about losing Pidge at some point, he would have been fine with it. He was so irritated with her at the time that he couldn’t stand being in the same room as her, but that was when she had been a boy.

Now she was a girl. Now she was Pidge, a girl Lance had really come to like, and he didn’t want to imagine a future without her.

So for now, he wanted to be selfish. Even in these few moments of her sleeping against him, he allowed himself just a few quiet moments to indulge in the idea that they’d still be together once this was all over.

Lance reached up carefully, his fingers grazing her cheek while tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. The sensation was soft, but apparently enough. Pidge must have been a light sleeper compared to him, because her nose twitched, her eyes squeezed tight, and then opened slowly.

The brunette pulled his hand away quickly, fearing her reaction if she knew what he was doing while she slept, but she seemed too sluggish to notice. Her eyes blearily blinked, the amber tones fogged with exhaustion from lack of sleep before focusing on him.

It took a moment, and Lance could tell she was trying to recollect what happened from the night before. Her eyes glazed over and tired, calculating as they always were. Taking in the scene of them lying in bed and trying to figure out how they got here in the first place.

“Good morning,” He greeted softly, his lips lifting in a smile.

“… Mornin,” She mumbled in reply, her hand lifting from his chest to rub at her eye. Lance smiled at the cute way her nose wrinkled as she forced back a yawn.

What had she done to him?

“How’d you sleep?”

“Uh…” She uttered, slowly looking up at him. It was hard to tell in the dim lighting of the room, but it looked like she was blushing. “Better than I have for the past few weeks…”

“That’s good. You looked really tired…” He told her, his hand rubbing her shoulder. Pidge smiled softly as she settled back against him, her hand resting on his chest and her eyes closing gently. She let out a heavy sigh, relaxing against him, and Lance let her.

It was early on a Saturday morning, and they only had today and tomorrow to really relax before classes started again. He wished he could spend all day like this, but that would probably be the least productive thing they could do. Besides, she needed a distraction. Something to take her mind off of what was happening at home and the guilt resting on her shoulders, so they needed to do _something_ , but what?

“Hey,” He spoke up, watching her brassy eyes open and look up at him. “I have an idea.”

“Okay…?”

“Let’s go to the mall today.” He suggested, slowly sitting up to roll onto his side. Pidge sat up just a bit, letting him do so, but unlike him, she stayed up on her elbows.

“The mall?”

“Yeah! Let’s go do something at the mall today.” He beamed at her with a bright smile and flushed cheeks.

“Where’s the mall?”

“About an hour from here by bus.” He told her. “And there’s a movie theater in the mall, so we can go check out a good movie while we’re there too.”

“Oh, uhm…” Pidge looked down at the pillow, her lips falling into a frown. “I don’t think I have enough money for that…”

Lance could see her shoulders tensing up at the admission, her eyebrows furrowing; she wasn’t good at hiding her emotions.

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll be my treat.” He offered her. 

“N-No way, Lance. I can’t do that.” She quickly denied.

“Why not…?”

“Because…” She really didn’t have an argument here. He knew what it was for her. She simply couldn’t accept it, but he wasn’t going to let her pride win here.

“Don’t worry about it, Pidge. Let’s just go and have a good time.” Lance reached up to rub her shoulder, feeling how truly tensed up she was by the way it barely moved.

“But…” Her eyes spoke what she wanted to say, but she couldn’t seem to get it out.

“Come on, Pidge.” Lance leaned forward, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout of his own. “Let me treat you. It’ll make me happy.”

“What- What?” She gaped at him. “The heck is that, Lance?” To his relief, she let out a small laugh.

“This is my _do what I want and we’ll all be happy_ face.” He explained, making his eyebrows wiggle a bit for added effect.

“Well it’s doing the exact opposite of what you want.” She chided, shoving a hand in his face to push him away. The two of them shared a laugh, Lance staggering, but managing to stay on the bed. That only brought on more laughter, especially from Pidge.

It was good to hear her laugh again.

* * *

What did someone say to someone they liked on an hour long bus ride? Lance hadn’t the foggiest idea, but the awkward silence was killing him.

He knew not to ask about things from home. He already had an idea of how it was going, and the point of this was to keep her mind off of what was going on at home, not bring attention to it.

Asking about school was a dud, because they just got back. They already talked about final test scores, and school started back up on Monday. So there was nothing there he could ask about that.

Relationships? That seemed too personal. Besides, he already knew that she didn’t have much in the way of friends back home besides her brother. He didn’t know if anyone here was considered a friend for her. Did she talk to anyone else in any of her classes?

That seemed to be an okay topic so long as he didn’t pry too much, but just before he could ask her about it, he saw her preoccupied with her phone. He saw her looking down at a set of text messages that he didn’t read to give her privacy. She didn’t look too happy. Annoyed was probably the better word there.

“What’s wrong?” The question slipped out before he could think through it, his mind flashing warning sirens as she looked up to him, still irritated. However, the irritation flittered when she looked at him, her expression softening into something more relaxed.

“Oh, it’s… My brother.” She mumbled.

“Is he okay?”

“Oh yeah, he’s fine. He’s just… Being a brother again.” The annoyance in her tone was obvious.

“What do you mean?”

Pidge flushed.

“I told him we were going to the mall to hang out, and he asked if I brought pepper spray with me.” She admitted, her eyes looking up to him with a sheepish expression. She was glad to see that Lance didn’t seem offended, however. All he could do was cover up his face to hide a snicker.

“He really doesn’t like me, does he?” He asked, his grin hurting his cheeks.

“He doesn’t like me near any guy really. It’s nothing personal for you.” She assured him, but Lance didn’t seem too bothered by it. In fact, it seemed to make him a little happy. She couldn’t understand why for the life of her. “Brothers can be really annoying.”

“I know what you mean.” Lance assured her. “I’m the baby, remember? I’ve had my fair share of annoyances with my brothers _and_ my sister.”

“Having that many siblings must be so crazy.” Pidge said as she turned in her seat. “Sometimes I can’t even stand Matt.”

“Well yeah, but I don’t think I sleep well without the worlds craziness happening over my head.”

“Being at school must be tough then.”

“Nah, that’s a vacation.” He reassured, and the two of them shared in another good natured laugh.

Maybe this bus ride wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

* * *

“What should we see?” Pidge asked him, her eyes narrowed and glaring at the screens above them. Lance’s head didn’t need to tilt back nearly as far for him to look at them as hers did.

“You pick,” Lance told her.

“But you said you’re paying, so you should get the choice.” She argued with him, looking back briefly to gauge his reaction.

“Nah, I’m no good at picking movies. Ask Hunk. He knows.” Lance explained. “So go ahead and pick what you want to see. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”

Pidge frowned at that, her eyes glancing back up to the screen to squint and see better. Lance assumed the glasses she was wearing did nothing for her eyesight, considering they looked exactly like the ones Matt wore in that picture of them together. He waited for the few moments she stared at the overhead screen, her eyes calculating, and for a moment he figured he could actually see the cogs turning in her head.

This was actually that important?

“Uh… That one,” She finally announced, pointing up to the screen at the title she decided on. Lance followed her pointed finger until he came across what she was hoping to see and grinned.

“A romance? Really…?”

“Shut up.” She flushed and looked away.

“I didn’t peg you to be a romantic type of girl, Pidge.”

“It just looks like a good movie!” She defended herself, but Lance couldn’t stop smirking at the way her cheeks were tinted red all the way to her ears. It was so cute on her.

He was really hoping she wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

“Sure. I’ll believe you… For _now_.”

“I’m being serious!”

“Oh I know. I know.” Lance raised up his hands defensively as her hands came out of her pockets in fists, her tiny hands balled up like she was prepared to hit him again like she had the day before, only much harder. “I’m not judging, Pidge.”

“Doubt it.”

* * *

Turns out it wasn’t as romantic as they both had imagined from the trailers they had seen of the movie. Not that it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t exactly what they were expecting.

Of course, that would go without saying that Lance had actually _paid attention_ to the whole movie.

After the first thirty minutes, once they had the problem in front of them and the characters had to solve it, Lance felt a gentle bump into his shoulder. At first he assumed it was Pidge’s arm or something as she reached for the popcorn, but that wasn’t it. It didn’t move, and after a few seconds of watching the screen, gawking at the man who just messed up a possible relationship with the main character, he looked away from the screen and down.

It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but when they did, his heartbeat picked up.

Pidge had her head leaning against Lance’s shoulder, comfortably resting there while she watched the screen with rapt attention. She was practically leaning into his side over the arm rest while the movie played, not even making a move for her soda or the popcorn in his lap, but that was the last thing on his mind. As a matter of fact, the only thing he could think about was how adorable of an act this was from her, Pidge Gunderson, AKA Katie Holt, the seemingly impossible to work with girl.

His mind was racing miles a minute at the thought, and yet his brain couldn’t comprehend such an act. He was too busy looking down at the top of her head and thinking that it just felt so _right,_ and then wondering if maybe, just _maybe,_ she felt the same as him.

Maybe she liked him. Maybe, despite her goals, she still saw some sort of future with him, and maybe she wanted to pursue that future by means of small, tender gestures like this.

The idea alone had his heart pounding against his ribs, and he couldn’t help but wonder to himself:

Was this a _date?_

* * *

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Pidge mentioned, her eyes squinting to adjust to the bright lights of the hallway coming out of the theater. “But it wasn’t as good as I had hoped.”

“Yeah, the trailers made it look good.” Lance agreed, tossing the empty popcorn bin in the trash as they walked by before leaving the theater all together.

It was later in the evening now. More people were here after getting off of work and school, and that meant it was more crowded than when they had gotten here. The movie was also longer than expected, but that was okay. They still had time to walk around and do whatever they needed to do before heading back to the bus stop.

Right, because Lance’s biggest concern right now was making it back to the bus so they didn’t miss curfew.

He was still reeling from earlier in the theater and what Pidge had done. His mind was still beaming at the thought that this was a date.

That hadn’t been his intention at all. When he asked her to come with him, he wanted to simply help distract her and make her feel better. He just wanted to help, because there wasn’t much in her horrible situation that he could do besides this, but now he was wondering if this was exactly what it seemed like.

A trip to the mall. Just the two of them. Going to see a _romantic_ movie, with Pidge resting her head on his shoulder almost halfway through and _leaving it there_ until the end.

That was another thing. Did _she_ think this was a date? Was she thinking about this casual outing as a date between the two of them? Also, if that was the case, what were the expectations if so?

Lance hadn’t had any plans to woo or impress her, he just wanted her to feel better. With that being said, he really had no idea what would make her fall for him as deeply as he had for her.

Did he even want to do that?

Lance’s first answer would be no, but his _truthful_ answer would be yes.

Yes, he wanted this to be a date. He wanted her to think of this as a date, and he wanted this to go places. What could he do to make it better though?

“They have an arcade here?” Pidge suddenly asked, breaking him from his internal struggle to have him look in the direction she was looking.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” Lance said, perking up.

An arcade was a fantastic addition to this date-3

_Not a date. This was not a date. She wouldn’t like it if he was trying to take advantage of this right now, Lance._

“Are they still open?” Pidge asked him, looking up with big, brown eyes and a curious, anxious look.

“Of course! Come on. Let’s go play some games,” Lance offered, watching the way her expression instantly perked up. She practically jumped in place at the idea, and Lance set a hand on her back to guide her into the arcade where a bunch of younger children played. That was most of the people here, with the exceptions of some parents, and some teenagers neither of them had ever seen at their school. It was safe to say they would be fine here.

“Wow, they have a lot of cool games here!” Pidge exclaimed, her eyes practically shining as she looked around. Lance couldn’t help but love the awestruck look on her face.

“Yeah, they do.” Lance looked around while his hands pushed into his pockets. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Looks like they’ve done up this place a lot.”

“Is that Killbot Phantasm One?” Pidge asked, more excited than she had been a mere five seconds ago. She jolted forward a few feet away, and Lance followed close behind, his own excitement rising. “Journey to the Depths of the Demonsphere?”

“That is it!”

“I can’t believe they have this here!” Pidge exclaimed, jumping in place with her hands fisted by her face. “I haven’t played this in years!”

“Well let’s go get some tokens then!” Lance ushered her away from the stall to head to the nearest kiosk, pulling his wallet out at the same time for a couple of dollars. It wasn’t much, but whatever it took to keep that smile on her face.

* * *

“You’re such a cheater!” Pidge shouted, laughing as she pushed Lance’s hand away from her face.

“You started it!” He accused her, simultaneously trying to open the chest that was so rightfully his.

“I did not!”

“Did too!”

Pidge’s character rounded a corner, only to be stopped by one of the skeleton guards. She yipped and tried to switch her bow and arrow to a sword, but it was too late. Her character was struck down, her weapons taken away.

“That’s what you get for cheating,” Lance told her.

Before he could do anything about it, Pidge reached across his chest to press a button on his controller. His character jumped to the left and right into a skeleton, where it dealt a final blow.

“Okay, now that’s cheating.” Lance dropped the controller on the table as he looked to her, only to watch as she stuck her tongue out at him, her nose scrunched up and her eyes squished shut.

“It’s what you get for cheating,” She mockingly replied. While Lance wanted to feel offended, and probably should have been annoyed, he just wasn’t. He couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation before noticing a few people behind them waiting for the game.

“Come on. Let’s go play something else,” He told her, grabbing his backpack and tossing it over his back. Pidge grunted with annoyance, her eyes rolling, and Lance knew that she really didn’t care for who else wanted to play, but she got up anyway. They wandered away from the game and to the next thing that caught their eyes, which just so happened to be a crane machine.

It didn’t have much in it besides the usual stuffed animals, usually in the shapes of cartoon characters, but it wasn’t about the toys. It was about winning the game, and the prize one would receive. It just depended on if you were good at these things or not, and Lance didn’t have a good hand at it.

“Wanna try?” Pidge asked, noticing him eyeing the machine curiously.

“I can, but I’m not good at these.” Lance replied, his shoulders shrugging lightly as he fished out a few tokens.

“They aren’t that hard though,” Pidge said. “It’s all about measurements of the prizes weight, which does have to be guessed, but then measuring the pressure of the other toys put on it by the grip of the-”

“Pidge,” Lance stopped her before she could get too far into her mathematical ramble.

“Right, sorry.” She apologized with a sheepish grin. “I just mean that they aren’t hard if you can look at it in a different light.”

“Well Miss Expert,” He spoke, a moment of fear striking him for what he called her, but then he remembered that they were in a place where their classmates weren’t, so it was alright to refer to her as a girl. He just needed to make sure it didn’t become a habit. “Why don’t you show me how easy it is?” He held out the tokens for her, letting her take them while she grinned.

“I will,” This was by far the cockiest she had been since… Since Lance had met her? He really couldn’t think of a time she was really self assured of herself for something other than science.

Lance watched as Pidge inserted the tokens and began. She moved the claw around inside the machine, aiming until she found what she wanted. A small, stuffed lion, with a white body and blue mane and eyes. From what he could tell, even the toe beans on its paw were a pretty, satin finished blue.

“Okay,” Pidge pushed the claw around until she was satisfied with her aim.

“Pidge, that thing is buried. You’re going to have a hard time getting it out.” Lance told her.

“Just watch,” She uttered before hitting the button.

The claw came down on the stuffed toy, wrapping around the body and looping through the tag before catching.

Lance watched as she instructed, and only a second later gaped as it lifted with the claw.

“What?” It wasn’t a real question. It was just an expression of shock. “How…?”

“I made sure the claw got stuck on the tag. Doesn’t matter if it’s buried, because it got caught.” Pidge explained as the toy dropped into the bin. She pulled it out, marveling at the stuffed lion in excitement. “Tada!”

“That’s an impressive talent, Pidge. I’m sure there’s a market for it.” Lance told her.

“Yeah right,” She remarked sarcastically before eyeing the lion. A moment later she held it up to him, her eyes shining, her smile big, and her cheeks a light pink. “Here.”

“What…? For me?”

“Yeah.”

“But you won it fair and square.” He reminded her.

“This is a thank you present.” She explained. “So take it.”

Lance felt his cheeks flush with color as he realized what something like this actually meant for her, but the fact she was showing her appreciation in one of the very few ways she could made his heart beat like crazy.

“T-Thanks,” He didn’t mean to stutter as he took the lion. He hadn’t owned a stuffed animal since he was a young child, but if it was from her, he really couldn’t deny such a sweet gift.

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” She looked away, easily just as embarrassed by the action, but that was fine.

“S-So uh… Food?” Lance asked her.

“Sounds good.”

* * *

“I cannot believe you’d say that.” Pidge remarked with amazement.

“I was like ten, okay? That’s what my parents told me.”

“Didn’t the idea that a baby came from an egg from the Easter Bunny sound just a bit ridiculous?”

“Of course it does _now!_ ” Lance exclaimed. “Do you know how many Easter’s I spent looking for a new baby brother or sister so I wasn’t the baby anymore?”

Pidge laughed around the straw of her soda, her head shaking lightly at the ridiculous story.

“I always liked being the baby, but I guess when you have so many brothers and sisters, it’s a bit of a different story.” She assumed.

“Yeah. My parents kept telling me that it was rare that the Easter Bunny brought siblings, but I kept looking.” Again she laughed, and quickly Lance tried thinking of other embarrassing stories to tell her so she would keep laughing.

“Oh my god.” She shook her head before taking a bite of her pizza.

“What? Like you never said anything crazy around your parents?”

“I didn’t threaten to write a letter to the Easter Bunny for a new baby sister.” She deadpanned.

“I was ten!” He reminded her.

“So that’s what? Six years?”

“I’m seventeen. That’s seven years.” He told her. He remembered that he had never actually told her his age.

“I wasn’t saying anything like that at ten.”

“You’re a Holt, Pidge. Of course you weren’t. You were probably figuring out how to divide like… Uh… Big numbers.” He couldn’t actually think of anything that would be an impossible division she could try (And most likely do).

Pidge looked ready to make a joke to that before she got distracted, her eyes looking past him to somewhere behind him. Lance looked over his shoulder, trying to figure out what caught her attention before he saw it.

The Mercury Gameflux Two.

“Is that…?” He wondered out loud, looking back to her.

“It’s the Mercury Gameflux Two!” She cheered. “They sell that here?”

“That’s a new one for me too,” He said. “Wanna check it out?”

“Heck yeah!”

Lance bundled up his trash on his tray before standing, but stopped short as Pidge scarfed down the last of her pizza.

She had gotten really good at that. Probably all the weeks Lance spent getting on her about eating such small bites.

After the trash was tossed out, Pidge made a hurried dash to the game shop, Lance following close at her heel. They didn’t go in since the display was in the window, but Pidge didn’t hesitate to press her face up against the glass to look at it.

“It is! It’s also got the power glove with infinite lives if you touch the index finger to the pinky!” She cheered, looking at the box with excitement. “We have to have this!”

“Uh, Pidge,” Lance tapped lightly at her shoulder before pointing up above her. The brunette followed his finger until she saw a sign above the stacked display of boxes written in red pen.

_“One Day Sale: Fifty Percent off! Only eighty-nine ninety-nine!”_

“Aww man!” She groaned, leaning hard against the window.

“Yeah, I definitely don’t have enough for it.” Lance said remorsefully, shoving his hands hard into his pockets.

“And it’s only today. I wouldn’t be able to ask my parents for it either…” Pidge turned around, leaning against the window while pouting. She had her head ducked down, because it wasn’t the idea that she couldn’t have it that upset her, but remember that she or her parents _couldn’t afford_ to buy it. It reminded her of the problems at home, and that she was on a strict time.

Lance didn’t want that. He didn’t want her to remember that, but he wasn’t sure what he could do. He would have been more than willing to buy her the system, but that was saying if he had the money. He only had enough now to buy some more food and pay the bus fair to get back to the school. He didn’t think his brothers or sister would be willing to send him that kind of money either.

This was just going to be one of those instances where they had to walk away. She’d be upset, but Lance would find some other way to make her feel better. He had to.

“Maybe it’ll go on sale again another day,” He assured her, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder to coax her away from the window.

“Yeah… Maybe,” Pidge sighed before following him, leaning into his side while pushing her hands into her own pockets. Lance frowned at her posture, walking forward to get her away from the gaming shop to find something else for them to do for the next hour before the bus came.

They heard the shouts of children up ahead by the fountains, parents telling them to behave while their kids ran around. Lance looked to them to watch two younger children throwing in coins, but it was hard to tell what they were from where they stood.

For a moment he watched them, then looked over to Pidge, who had been watching them too. She looked up at him with the same type of look in her eyes, the gears in her head turning just as much as Lance’s were before he spoke.

“I’m afraid by the idea that just went through both of our heads…”

* * *

“That comes completely to eighty-nine ninety-nine.” The cashier said, pulling the last of the pennies into his hand to force into the stuffed register. “Were you saving all of that in your piggy bank for an occasion like this?”

“You could say that,” Pidge beamed at him before taking the box offered to her, buzzing with joy at her new gaming system.

“Pidge, we gotta go.” Lance said quietly in her ear, tugging on her arm. That could only mean one thing, so she gave a quick goodbye to the gentlemen at the cash register before throwing up the hood of her jacket.

The two of them walked out of the store casually, Pidge keeping the game’s box close to her chest, as if she were hiding a secret. Lance kept his arm around her shoulder all the while, his eyes frantically looking around.

“There’s two by that door,” Pidge mumbled, her eyes spotting the security guards not far off.

“We’ll exit from the other side of the mall, and walk around.” Lance explained, but she shook her head.

“Then the security outside will see us.” She reminded him, making him grit his teeth. Leave it to the parents to report them for jumping in the fountain.

“Through the food court?” He asked her.

“Good place to hide at least.” She joked, and the two of them headed for that direction.

As early into the evening as it was, the place was packed with people. It was easy to navigate the food court towards the doors, which weren’t too far away from the bus stop. They were just about there when they heard a voice calling out for them.

“Excuse me!”

“Act like you heard nothing,” Pidge pressed closer into his side as they walked out the doors.

“Yep, heard nothing.” He agreed, refusing to look back.

The cold outside was bitter and harsh, even more so with the wind. The two of them braced themselves against the weather, hoping that the security guards wouldn’t come outside where they didn’t have anything to stop the cold from seeping into their bones, but, just as luck would have it, Pidge staggered against the wind before her hood fell off of her head.

“Hey!”

“Run, run!” Lance grabbed her hand and bolted, Pidge close at his heel as the two of them ran towards the bus stop. The bus was just pulling up; it had taken them longer than they imagined to get enough money for the gaming station, and they were running late.

“Hurry!” Pidge tried catching up just to match his pace, but it was hard. Lance’s longer legs gave him a better stride than she did, and Pidge had really never been one for outdoor activities.

Running was one of those things.

Lance dragged her the rest of the way though, and when they got to the bus, they scurried on behind the last few people, hurriedly finding seats in the back where they could hide by themselves. They dropped into the seats with heavy breaths, gasping for air as they leaned back, Pidge pulling her hood back over her head. Lance looked out the window of their bus, seeing no one following, and no security coming by to stop the bus as it began moving forward.

“Holy crow…” Pidge gasped, dropping her chin on top of the box.

“Tell me about it…” He leaned back, sighing as the bus rocked as it sped up. It eventually picked up as it got on the highway, leaving behind the mall and anyone who had seen them wading through the water fountains.

He couldn’t help himself. Lance let out a small laugh, and when Pidge heard it, she laughed too. It was like a domino effect, and soon the two of them were covering their mouths, trying to keep down their laughter to avoid angry looks.

This whole trip had been a bit of a fiasco, but one worth the trip. Sure, they had just been chased down by mall security, and were probably never allowed in the mall again, but that was fine. This was probably the most fun trip to a mall either of them had been on.

And that was fine. It was better than fine. It was great.

Exhaustion was easy to settle in after such a long day. After their fit of laughter, Lance leaned back into the seat, closing his eyes as the rocking motion of the bus helped calm him down. Only a few moments later did Pidge lean into his side, her eyes closing as she relaxed into him.

She was warm against him, her face pressed into his shoulder and her cheek smushed. It was cute to say the least, and Lance wouldn’t have given up this moment for anything. Not even the game in her lap, or the lion safely tucked away in his back pack.

There was no denying how hard he had fallen for her, but while he worried about the situation she was in, and what that could have meant for _them,_ Lance had to push those thoughts away. It was the only way he could enjoy this moment like it would last forever.


	13. Cry for Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy~ Long time no see my friends. :) Sorry for the gaps in updates. I've been like... Bleh. With no desire to write. I've been doing a lot of drawing and... Yes... Playing minecraft. *Shot* However, I did get three chapters worth of summaries, bullets, and key points written up. This does make me wonder how long this is going to go on for, but if I can get out some more story boards for these chapters, I'll probably have an idea. I'll rightfully say we're halfway to being done though. :)  
> -Misty  
> P.S. While I did have my "Speak selected text" run through this chapter, there were a lot of typos and errors. I hope I got, at the very least, a decent chunk of it, but it's late, and couldn't read this to check it without falling asleep. ^^'

Lance and Pidge were exhausted by the time they got back to the school. It was late, with only an hour to get back before curfew, but that was fine. It gave them the time they needed to sluggishly head back to their room, quiet, but speaking in soft tones about anything and everything. School, homework, friends, future trips they’d like to take, and anything else that sparked conversation.

They stopped halfway when Lance pulled his backpack off, taking out his stuffed lion to hold. His hands were cold, but he didn’t have it in him to ask to hold Pidge’s hand and keep his warm. Besides, she was intent on holding her new gaming system as close to her body as physical space would allow. He wasn’t going to try and pull her away from that.

However, outside of dorm two, not far from their own, did they stop at the sound of someone calling out towards them.

“Hey, you two!”

They stopped to look, only to grimace and sneer.

It was that guy again. The one from the party who pushed Pidge, and the one who Lance nearly got into a fist fight with had it not been for her pulling him away. Him and his friends, standing under the cover of some trees to smoke some cigarettes, and something else that was fowl smelling from where they stood.

“Let’s just get out of here,” Pidge muttered, looking away. Lance nodded his head in agreement, but before they could get far, they were called out again. This time the cigarettes were flicked away, ignored so the three taller teens could come over to them, hands in pockets with smug grins pulling at their pink cheeks.

“Can we help you?” Lance asked, his eyes narrowing at them.

“What’cha got there?” The blonde one asked, the guy who had initially pushed Pidge. They were walking around them now, as if herding them into a corner, and it didn’t help that Lance sidestepped to stand in front of the smaller brunette. He wanted their attention off of her.

“A video game…” She replied, trying to make herself sound less taken aback by their actions as she did. At least she had the courage to look them in the eyes, glaring at them. She didn’t like this feeling they were giving off, like they were preparing something they weren’t going to have an easy time with.

With guys like these, it wasn’t hard to guess what they wanted to do.

“Actually I was looking at the toy in your arms,” He pointed to the lion in Lance’s hands before pointing to the brunette. “Did your momma buy that for you?”

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” Lance asked him, squeezing the stuffed animal to his chest. “Homework or something? Anything better than wasting your life putting others down.”

“All that’s under control,” He assured him. One of his friends stepped closer behind the two, coming too close for comfort towards Pidge.

“Tell that to your grades,” She uttered with a roll of her eyes, but it wasn’t so quiet that it didn’t go unheard.

“What was that?” The blonde asked her, stepping up to look down over her. Lance just barely got himself between the two before he could put his hands on her. “Say that again, you little-!”

“Get away from him!” Lance bit out, shoving him back by the shoulders. The blonde caught him by the cuff of his jacket, giving it a hard yank to make him staggered backwards. When Lance lost his footing, he used that as leverage to knock him down.

“Lance!” Pidge called out, but stopped when the blonde’s friends stood between them. They stood there like a wall while the blonde sent a forceful kick right into Lance’s chest, knocking the air out of him and leaving him gasping around the pain in his ribs. “Stop it! Leave him alone!”

The blonde kicked him again, Lance grunting at the impact, but there wasn’t much else he could do. He couldn’t breathe around the pain and lack of air, his ribs _aching_ , and yet something in his head kept telling him to get up. Get up and fight, because Pidge was standing right there, worried and scared, and the blonde seemed done with him and ready to turn his attention onto someone else.

“Stay there,” The teen warned him, pointing a threatening finger at him, knowing that Lance _was_ the type of guy to get up and fight some more.

The blonde turned away, prepared to finish his _conversation_ with Pidge, but was cut off.

Cut off by a fist right to the nose. A punch so hard that it had him falling back to the ground, completely unresponsive.

Even his friends were speechless, staring at Pidge who had managed to push through them (only after putting her new game down of course), to punch the teen so hard that it knocked him out.

Even Lance, who could barely push himself up onto an elbow, was staring at the scene like he had just seen a ghost pop out at him.

“… Ow,” Pidge uttered, bringing her fist to her chest to cradle it.

“A-Are you-?” Lance stopped when she bent down to force him up.

“Come on! Before someone gets the principal!” She still kept her hand at her chest, but forced Lance onto two shaking, unsteady legs. She grabbed her game that had been ignored, the blonde’s friends now surrounding him to make sure he was okay before the two of them bolted for their dorm.

* * *

“It’s not too bad anymore…” Lance assured her. “It just feels like a bad stomach ache…”

“I’m sorry…” Pidge apologized, her head dropping. “It’s my fault you can’t go to the nurse.”

“Your fault?” He asked her. “Pidge, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”

He grabbed her by the shoulders, excitement written all over his face, but Pidge was taken aback.

“Really…?”

“You knocked him out, Pidge! You showed him not to ever mess with you again! That was the coolest ever!” From where they sat on Pidge’s bed, he could see the flush of color on her cheeks, darkened by the dim light shining out from the bathroom, and from Lance’s desk lamp.

“I’ve never hit someone before. I-I was just so mad, I…”

“Come on, Pidge. You stood up for yourself. That was incredible,” He assured her, giving her shoulders a light squeeze before remembering how she hadn’t done much with her hand since they got back. She had been so worried about Lance’s well-being first that she hadn’t even bothered to do anything to the bruises forming on her knuckles, or the light scratches present, probably made from his teeth. “… How’s your hand?” He asked her.

“It hurts,” She said, lifting it lightly to look at it. “It feels like it’s vibrating…”

“Let me see,” Lance let go of her, only to take up her smaller hand and inspect it.

Really, he should have been looking for anything out of place. He should have been looking at the cuts and bruises, or testing it to make sure all of her fingers and wrist could still bend properly, but he didn’t.

He was too busy noticing the difference in sizes to their hands, or the softness of her skin. Her hands were as smooth as baby’s skin, littered with tiny, white scars from robotics projects from over the years. Her short nails that looked bitten down and unkempt, or the way her fingers ever so lightly curled against his own.

“Does it hurt…?” He asked her.

“It’s sore, but… Nothing too painful.” She replied. “A three out of ten I’d say.”

“That’s good,” He nodded his head as he looked to her, noticing the light shining against her pale skin, reflecting off of her glassy, brown eyes. She was blushing again, staring up at him with an expression he couldn’t seem to read, but he felt his own cheeks flare with color.

He hadn’t realized how close they had gotten.

Pidge looked away after a quiet moment, a shy smile on her lips as she curled her fingers in his hand again. This time they hooked around his thumb, holding on with a light grip.

“… Thanks for earlier.” She mumbled, and only now did Lance realize her grip didn’t falter. She was attempting to hold his hand.

“ _You_ saved _me_. I should be thanking you.”

“Thanks for fighting for me though.” She looked back, smiling again with that cute, shy smile of hers.

“I’m just your typical knight in shining armor.” He assured, his shoulders lightly shrugging at the remark. Pidge giggled quietly, her smile getting bigger as she looked to him.

“That, and then some.”

The comment made his cheeks flush darker, his eyes widening in surprise.

What was that supposed to mean? She agreed he was a knight, but what did the rest of that mean? What was that supposed to say that hadn’t actually been said?

Lance was so flabbergasted by the idea. His head was racing with thoughts of what this could mean, and what she was referring to. He was just staring at her, probably looking a little bit creepy, but she was just letting it happen. She was just looking back, her big eyes shining and her lips pulled into a small, timid smile. Her cheeks were dusted with a blush again, or maybe it had never left, but she couldn’t have looked any prettier than she did right now.

Just as thoughts entered Lance’s head, thoughts of leaning forward, of testing what her lips felt like against his own, and very nearly doing so, Pidge looked to the floor, gently clearing her throat. That seemed to be enough to knock him out of his stupor, enough for him to finally let go over her hand, looking at anything other than her and scratching the back of his neck.

“So uh…” Pidge uttered, flushing brightly.

“So…?”

“W-We should…” She straightened up, only to bend down and pick up her box. “We should hook this up and play.”

“Oh yeah,” Lance sighed through a laugh, trying to pass it off as nothing. ”I’m dying to play.”

“Me too,” Pidge got up from the bed, walking over to her desk where her laptop sat and clearing some papers away. Lance joined her in the almost urgent attempt to clean the mess she called a desk, tossing empty and half empty bags of chips, as well as an empty can of soda in the garbage.

Meanwhile, as Lance set up a fort of blankets and pillows from both of their beds, his new stuffed lion included, Pidge got busy hooking up what was necessary to get their new gaming system. He didn’t think it possible; after all, her laptop wasn’t a gaming laptop, but he shouldn’t have doubted her. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Pidge managed to get it working.

Her laptop screen was small, but perched up on her rolling chair while they sat under the cover of their makeshift fort made up for it. The two of them settled close together, heads ducked low to avoid rustling blankets as they handed off controlwes, picked characters, and started on the first quest. While Lance had never played the game before, he was a fast learner. Beside him, Pidge was giddy with excitement, rattling off about how she had wanted to play this forever. It had been so long since she had really sat down to do something like this, so he was going to make up for the lost time.

Surprisingly enough, they didn’t make it far. All of today’s fiasco had them far more exhausted than they originally thought, and it wasn’t long before they started to lag.

It was Pidge who fell asleep first, her head slowly sinking into Lance’s shoulder until finally her full weight pressed against him. By then Lance had paused the game, looking down at her with a gentle smile, taking in her features again like he hadn’t done it once already.

He hadn’t planned for them to fall asleep. He’d been so interested in the game that he hadn’t thought far past playing, so that meant he was stuck under her weight, on top of all of their blankets and pillows on the _floor._

Really, there wasn’t much left to do but to make himself comfortable and sleep there.

* * *

Lance had once imagined what it would have been like to wake up next to a pretty girl. He had thought about the possibility of being married with someone beautiful, maybe a few kids in a nice house with a dog, all while being one of the best pilots in the world.

Sure, he wasn’t married, didn’t have kids, and wasn’t anywhere near that goal, but waking up next to Pidge was a pretty good taste of that.

Waking up huddled under blankets on the floor, his chest pressed into her back, his arm under her head, and his hand draped over her waist. Her own fingers were even tangled with his, holding on tightly in her sleep.

Waking up warm and comfortable despite where they lay, and yet irritated, because he didn’t wake up naturally. No, he woke up, because there was a knock on their door, and Pidge shifted in her dense sleep, curling against him, her hand tightening around his as he lifted his head.

Lance looked at their door like it had done something to offend him, sneering at it before there was another knock, this time a little louder. Whoever it was expected them both to be asleep.

The illusion of possibilities with Pidge was shattered, especially as she moved again, this time lifting her head to look around the room. A small sound, something between a grunt and a groan left her as she settled back down against his arm, blinking slowly as her mind caught up with everything around her.

“Come in…” She mumbled, too tired to realize what it was she had done.

Lance looked to the door as it opened, a freshly showered and clearly a morning person Hunk walking in with a bright smile on his face.

“Good morning!” He chirped all too loudly, shutting the door behind him with a thump. Both Lance and Pidge winced, the brunette curling against him again.

Pidge was not a morning person.

“Hey Hunk,” Lance uttered, pushing himself up on his elbow despite the whimper of protest from beside him.

“Uh…” Hunk sounded, looking between the two of them in their blanket fort. “Should I… Come back later?”

Pidge shifted in his arms. Lance looked between her and Hunk, confused to say the least before the fog lifted, and his mind could conjure up what it was he was implying.

“Oh no!” Lance sat up quickly, the brunette practically rolling out of his arms. She whined in complaint, still shaking off sleep, but Lance had pushed himself up onto his hands and knees before she could argue his actions. “N-No, we were just… We fell asleep playing video games.”

“Playing video games?” Hunk asked as Pidge sat up, rubbing at her eyes. Her position wasn’t all that masculine, and when Lance looked to the side, he quickly grabbed at her hand and pointed it in the direction of her laptop.

“Yeah, video games!”

“Lance…” Pidge whined, pulling her hand away from him.

“Uhm… Okay?” Hunk gave in, though still confused.

Lance had never felt more relieved in his life to know that Hunk wasn’t the type of person to pry into other people’s business. He could tell that Lance didn’t want to go on about this topic any longer, and as the good friend that he was, he shrugged his shoulders. A very clear Hunk indicator that he’d leave it be.

Lance sighed with relief.

“S-So what’s up?” Lance asked him as he stood up, fixing his askew shirt and kicking a leg to make his pant leg drop down to his feet again.

“What’s up?” Hunk repeated sarcastically. “It’s been weeks since I’ve seen you!”

“Oh, right!” When Hunk opened his arms, Lance didn’t hesitate to step over their now destroyed fort and jump in for a quick hug. A few pats on the back and a ruffle of Hunk’s hair was enough of a kind gesture to show that he had missed him. He had just been too preoccupied trying not to spoil Pidge’s secret. “It’s good to see you, man.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Hunk said as they separated, offering up his big smile that made a room brighten. “How was your vacation?”

“Great! Most of my family was there too, so it was super hectic, but overall it was just nice to be with my family again.” Lance told him, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn’t want to stay on the topic of family too long after what happened to Pidge back home. “How about yourself?”

“It was good. A nice and quiet break for once, though my Nana did come to visit for Christmas, so that kept us busy.”

“Oh really? How is she doing?” Lance asked him.

“She’s finally in a wheelchair, and just loves to make our lives miserable with it.” Hunk rolled his eyes as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I know she was using her walker for a long time, but she really struggled these last few months.”

“Yeah.” Hunk sighed. “So she made sure we suffered for putting her in one.”

Lance chuckled, rolling his own eyes for a moment before remembering Pidge still sitting behind them, trying her best to shake off the last threads of sleep.

“Well why don’t we go get some breakfast?” Lance asked him, lightly punching Hunk’s arm. “We can share all the juicy gossip while we eat.”

“Oh yes. All the juicy details.” Hunk retorted before looking down at the floor. “Hey Pidge, you wanna join us? We’ve got some catching up to do.”

“Uh…” She uttered, her legs crossing together as she sniffled. Pidge was absolutely _not_ a morning person. “I’ll meet up with you guys. Let me just… Wake up.”

“No problem.” Hunk assured with a smile.

“Let me just get some fresh clothes, okay?” Lance mentioned really quick before hopping over the fort again to get to the dresser.

“Take your time.”

* * *

"So much food. So little time.” Lance uttered, looking about the bins of freshly cooked breakfast, all at his disposal. The schools cooking wasn’t anywhere near as good as his mom’s homemade food, but he’d be insane not to eat. He was starving, only remembering the last time he ate was when he and Pidge were at the mall last night.

“Oh please,” At Hunk’s remark, Lance looked over to see he had already piled plenty of food onto his plate, and then some. He was stocking up on French toast sticks with toasted bread with cinnamon dusting the top, along with a bowl of fruit and yogurt. He was fully prepared to eat all of it too. “You are weak by comparison.”

“No one can challenge you, Hunk.” Lance agreed with a warm smile.

“Nope,” He exaggerated his word with a pop at the end, his shoulder bumping into Lance’s. “So…”

“So…?” Lance heard the underlying tone of mischievousness in Hunk’s voice.

“What were you up to last night?” Hunk asked him, his thick eyebrows wiggling.

“What are you getting at?” Lance asked him, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh nothing, nothing.” Hunk assured him. “It’s just that you and Pidge looked pretty relaxed when I walked in. That’s all.”

“What…?” Lance blustered, feeling heat blossom in his cheeks. He turned his head away so Hunk wouldn’t see the blush, instead passing it off as him looking for food. “If you’re insinuating something here, Hunk, you’re wrong.”

“Oh come on, Lance.” Hunk mused. “You were holding his hand.”

“We fell asleep playing video games. It was cold on the floor.” Lance said with just a bit of warning. Apparently the big guy hadn’t given up on this just yet.

“That’s another thing,” Hunk pointed out as they left the bar, heading towards an empty table. “Where did you two get a video game from?”

“We got it at the mall yesterday,” Lance explained.

“The mall?” He asked him. “Why wasn’t I invited?”

Lance winced at the words, knowing that Hunk was just playing, but there was some hurt somewhere inside.

“It’s… Hard to explain.” Lance said. The two of them sat across from each other at an empty table further back into the cafeteria. “I think it’s better coming from him, only if he wants to talk about it, but… Let’s just say Pidge had a rough time during his vacation and leave it at that.”

“Oh…” Hunk nodded his head as he took his first bite of fruit, fully understanding.

“Yeah, so I figured just the two of us would be easier. You know…”

“I totally understand,” Hunk assured him. “He needed a break.”

“Yeah,” Lance sighed, thankful that Hunk could let _this_ go at the very least. “While we’re on the subject of home and stuff though… I do kind of need your advice.”

“Sure. Hit me with it.”

Lance shifted uncomfortably in his seat, reduced to scratching the back of his head while he thought about how he was going to word this. He _needed_ to talk about it, but he had to do it in a way that wouldn’t expose Pidge and what she was doing here. If he did, it was all over.

Well, that was as to say that he wasn’t talking to Hunk. He wasn’t sure what Hunk’s reaction would be if he told him, but he was almost positive that Hunk wouldn’t run straight to Iverson to tell him her secret. Hunk was a good guy, and if he knew her reasons, he’d probably keep it a secret and even help her.

It had to come from her though. He couldn’t be the one to blurt it out, so he had to make sure it never slipped.

“So… Okay, so I have this friend back home.” Lance began, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. “We’ve been decent friends for a while now, but… I never really saw any interest in her.”

Hunk stopped chewing as he looked up at him, surprise written on his face.

“Okay…?” He mumbled past the food in his mouth.

“And, well, over the break, she came to me with… Some pretty heavy stuff. Just bad stuff going on in her life and what not, and it’s pretty bad, you know?”

“Is she in danger?” Hunk asked him.

“No, no, it’s nothing like that. Just… Troubles with family.” Lance assured him. He felt like the money topic didn’t need to be brought up. “Anyway, we had a long talk, hung out most of the time, and for a few days she spent most of the time at my house to get away from it, and… I guess… I noticed that I was feeling something.”

 _“Feeling something?”_ The bigger teen uttered.

“Yeah, like… _Feelings…_ For _her_.” Lance explained. “Like, just thinking about her all the time. Thinking about doing more things with her and hanging out. Like she’s all I think about, and recently I was thinking about how things would go after school and… I was picturing her by my side after it all.”

“Wow,” Hunk uttered, the fork he’d had in his hands set back on his tray. “You really like this girl, huh?”

“I-I mean…” Lance stuttered, knowing for sure that his cheeks were red, and maybe even the tips of his ears.

“No Lance, I mean… You _really_ like her.” Hunk said. “I’ve never seen you look like this before.”

“What are you talking about, Hunk?” Lance asked him. “I always hit on the ladies.”

“Yeah, you hit on them, and you flirt, but you never actually look like you would chase after them.” Hunk’s hands lifted, flourishing in a bunch of expressive movements. “Like you wouldn’t give them much thought after a while. If you’ve got this girl on your brain, and she’s still there, that must mean you actually care enough about her to want more than just meaningless flirting.”

“Okay, first off,” Lance flicked up a finger at him. “Not meaningless flirting, and secondly, what makes her so different?” He asked him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean sure, she isn’t like other girls. She’s kinda scrubby and short, and she’s a bit of a tom boy-” Lance stopped for a moment to keep himself from blurting out anything more about Pidge. He didn’t want Hunk knowing he was talking about her, and then making that connection. Hunk was a bright man, and would easily pick up on it, even if Lance had said this girl was from his hometown. “But is it just because she’s a girl?”

Hunk frowned at him, his head tilting slightly, as if he was seriously considering what Lance had asked.

“Because if it’s just that she’s a girl, then that’s hypocritical of me, isn’t it? To like her just because she’s a girl?”

“Well yeah.” Hunk responded truthfully. “If that’s just it, then that would make you a hypocrite.”

Lance’s shoulders dropped, his head slumping forward. He loved Hunk with all of his heart, but sometimes Hunk’s truthfulness could be disheartening. It could also be a serious blow to his self-esteem, but Lance had asked for advice, and he was getting it. He was getting exactly what he asked for.

“But I don’t think that’s why you like her.” Hunk told him.

“What do you mean?” Lance lifted his head slightly to look at him, though he was pouting.

“Lance, it’s not because she’s a girl.” He stated. “It’s because she came to you looking for help or advice, or whatever it was she needed. Maybe she even just wanted to vent, and that’s fine. Regardless, when she opened up to you and told you her problems, she wasn’t a girl anymore. She was a person, someone with feelings and values and so much more than just _your_ typical eye candy.”

Hunk pointed his finger at him, blatantly calling out his likes.

“She became a person to you, opening up and becoming so much more than what you normally go for. All of what she told you, whatever it was, made you look at her in a completely different light. You value her differently from other girls, because she’s shown you a whole different side to her.” He continued on. “You don’t like her, because she’s a girl. You like her, because she’s another human with wounds and scars, and someone you care about because of that.”

“Really…?” Lance asked, the tension from his shoulders lifting.

“Of course. I know you think it’s the other way around, but you value her more than some pretty girl, and you already said she’s a bit of a tom boy. So for you to look past that, see _her,_ and want some sort of future with her tells me you actually have it bad.”

“I-I don’t…” Hunk stopped him with a pointed glance before he could continue.

“Yeah you do, Lance. I’ve never seen you look so lovesick before. No girl has ever made you look like a lovesick puppy, so that tells me you’ve got a huge thing for her, and you actually want it to go somewhere.” Hunk pointed a fork jabbed into a piece of fruit at him before stuffing it into his mouth.

All in all, Lance was glad to realize that it wasn’t because she had suddenly become a girl. Sure, she had been a girl the whole time, but that’s not why he liked her.

She had been forced to open up to him, to show the raw side of herself people might not often see from her. He saw her bad side, along with all the great sides, and still liked her, and he was completely fine with all of it. Everything about her was great in his eyes, and it was relieving to know he wasn’t as much of a hypocrite as he had made himself out to be.

That had really been plaguing over him for too long, but leave it to Hunk to solve his problems for him. He always had his back.

“But I am kind of surprised.” Hunk mused, taking a sip out of his drink.

“Why…?” Lance asked.

“It’s just… You know.” Hunk wiggled his eyebrows at him, a smirk pulling at his lips. “You and Pidge looked so _comfy_ this morning.”

“Ugh, Hunk!” Lance groaned out, his cheeks darkening again. “I told you, it wasn’t like that!”

“Uh huh. Sure it wasn’t.” Hunk leaned back on the bench, continuing to eat like Lance wasn’t a flustered mess in front of him.

“Come on, Hunk! Why would I lie to you?”

That one hurt without meaning for it to.

He was lying to Hunk. He had so many lies stacked up that it was hard to tell which ones were lies and what was the truth anymore. He had been lying since he found out Pidge was a girl, but he couldn’t tell the truth and expect apt results. He had to keep putting one lie after the other if it meant keeping both him and her safe, but at least this wouldn’t come back to bite him in the butt.

“I’m just saying.” Hunk raised his hands up in a defensive position. “That’s the closest I’ve seen you two, and to be quite honest, you just looked…”

“Looked like what?” Lance narrowed his blue eyes at him, perplexed.

“Comfortable.” Hunk responded. “Like you enjoy being with him. It’s kinda why I’m surprised you mentioned some random girl.”

“Oh please,” Lance waved him off as Hunk looked away. “I don’t like Pidge like that.”

“Hey Pidge,” Hunk suddenly said, and Lance felt a chill go down his back.

He turned in his seat, and sure enough, Pidge was standing only a few feet behind him, her hands holding a tray with a plate of food and a juice pouch.

She hadn’t heard that, had she?

“H-Hey Pidge,” He greeted with an awkward smile, his stomach twisting in knots with fear that she had heard that.

“Hi,” She said, her feet shifting awkwardly. “Am I okay to sit here?”

“Of course!” Hunk exclaimed, lifting a hand to the empty bench beside Lance. “Join the club. We have cookies.”

“Sounds like fun,” She said with a small smile, but instead of sitting beside Lance where she was closest to, she went around the table to take up the empty space by Hunk.

Lance’s heart dropped into his stomach.

She had heard him, hadn't she?

“So what’s up with you, Pidge?” Hunk asked her, patting her back. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Anything new?”

“Uh, not really?” She uttered, poking a fork into her pancakes. “Just… A Usual vacation I guess.”

“Hey, so long as it’s a break from school. Am I right?” He lightly joked. Pidge smiled.

“Yeah, I guess so.” She laughed lightly as she began eating, letting it fall quiet.

Hunk, as the kind of man he was, could tell it was awkward. Whether it had been because he tried to avoid talking about her family or because of what Lance had said he wasn’t sure, but he could feel the tension sitting on everyone’s shoulders. Even as Pidge busied herself with eating and Lance lamely pushed his spoon into his cereal, swirling it around, it was painfully silent between the three of them.

“Uh, so…” He began, stopping to clear his throat and drink out of his juice. “Lance, what are you gonna wear to the dance?”

“Huh…?”Lance looked up at him, not realizing he had ever really looked away.

“The dance…?” Hunk asked.

“Oh,” He paused to think about it. “That’s a few weeks away, isn’t it?”

“Yep.”

“What dance?” Pidge asked, looking between the two of them and listening in on their conversation.

“The school has a formal coming up in two weeks. It’s like this big, fancy dance of sorts for everyone to get all dressed up and hang out.” Hunk explained to her.

“It’s also the only time the school allows girls to come in as dates.” Lance added in.

“Oh…” Pidge hummed, looking down at her food, as if thinking hard about something again.

“I dunno, Hunk. Are we color coding it like we did last year?” Lance asked him, leaning his head in his hand. “Am I buying you a yellow corsage this time?”

“Well…” Hunk nervously rubbed at the back of his head. Lance sat up straight.

“Wait…” He uttered. “Don’t tell me… Are you cheating on me?”

“I-It’s not like that!” Hunk assured him while shaking his hands. “I just… You know, I saw Shay over the break, and…”

“You finally asked her out?” Lance beamed at him. “That’s my man! I knew you had it in you!” Lance reached over the table to slap his hand into Hunk’s, a forced high five of sorts.

“Yeah, I guess…” Hunk swayed in his seat as he pushed his hands into his lap, his face bashful and his ears red.

“Who’s Shay?” Pidge asked him.

“Shay is this really sweet girl from the public school in the next district over.” Lance explained. “Really pretty, tall, dark skinned, _big appetite;_ she’s Hunk’s kind of girl.”

“Sounds like you have yourself a winner.” Pidge assured with a smile.

“She’s totally perfect for him, Pidge, and as such, I’ll forgive you for cheating on me.” Lance leaned back, his arms crossing over his chest.

“Then the pressure is off me,” He grinned. “So now we have to get you a date.”

“Oh please,” Lance rolled his eyes.

“But the question is: Will you be the one to wear a dress, or your date?”

“Hunk, stop.” Lance groaned and covered his face.

“Why would Lance wear a dress?” The small teen beside Hunk asked.

“Sometimes some of the guys wear dresses as a joke. Last year they had a contest for who was the most convincing girl.” Hunk explained, and she laughed.

“I think they’re doing that again this year.” Lance muttered. “But no, I’m not wearing a dress. Especially if you aren’t my date so we can make fun of it together.”

“Then maybe,” Hunk smirked, leaning slightly over the edge of the table to give Lance _the look._ “You could ask your girlfriend to come and be your date.”

“You have a girlfriend?” Pidge suddenly asked, but this abrupt question had been more upset and haphazard than the previous ones. When Lance looked to her, he could even see the distant look of hurt in her eyes, like she’d been stabbed in the back after finding this out.

“No, I-”

“He’s got a girl back home.” Hunk teased. “Says he can’t stop thinking about her and everything.”

“Hunk!” Lance exclaimed, feeling embarrassed, but more so mortified when Pidge looked away and to her hands sitting in her lap.

“Oh…” She uttered.

“I’m telling you, Pidge. This is like the most I’ve heard him blubber over a girl before.” Hunk told her, jokingly elbowing her. He had no idea, and Lance couldn’t be mad at him for it, but there was never a time in his life where he wished for the bigger teen to shut up more than he did right now.

“That’s… Great.” She was trying to sound more enthusiastic; Lance could tell, but she seemed too uncomfortable to put on a great performance.

“I-I don’t think she’d come all this way out here just to go to a dance.” Lance tried to turn the idea away, and hopefully direct Hunk’s away from the conversation, but he seemed adamant.

“You never know. If she likes you enough, she probably would.” Hunk assured him just as Pidge cleared her throat.

“I’m uh, not feeling too good.” She said, slowly standing up. “I think I’m gonna go back to our room.”

“You okay, Pidge?” Hunk asked her with a frown. “Want me to help you to the nurse’s office?”

“No, that’s okay.” She assured him. “I think I’m just exhausted after sleeping on the floor all night. Maybe a nap will help.”

“Alright,” Hunk gave in, his shoulders dropping. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“Thanks, Hunk,” She said, her smile weak, but she left without saying anything more. Not even a goodbye to Lance, who felt his heart beating painfully hard in his chest at how upset she looked.

Upset because she thought he had a girlfriend? Or upset at the idea that he had never told her that he _could_ have a girlfriend?

He didn’t even know anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on teenage drama!!!  
> Miscommunication is rampant! Viruses! Leaked footage!  
> Stay tuned after this short commercial break!  
> ...  
> Alright. I'm going to bed. I swear.


	14. Virus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyy~ I'm back! Here with some more Plance for all the awesome people. :) Thanks for all of the comments guys. I really enjoying hearing what you think. I think you'll definitely like the next one. ;)  
> -Misty  
> P.S. Just for the record, I have no idea how making a virus or coding works, so we can put it out there right now that what's in this chapter is more than likely incorrect.

Lance walked into the room with a sluggish step, his backpack hanging off of his shoulder haphazardly after a long, _long_ day of a school, and finally, after the end to a long week. It had been probably the longest feeling week of school since he started here, but most of it wasn’t because he'd just come back from break.

No. It was because of Pidge.

Pidge, sitting her in chair at her desk with her head down. Pidge, sound asleep with her bulky green headphones covering her ears, her laptop open and screen saver running.

Pidge, who had been standoffish for the whole week since the incident on Sunday at breakfast. When she had heard him say he didn’t like her that way, and when heard of his supposed girlfriend. She’d been so quiet lately, and anytime Lance tried to strike up a conversation, she found a way to end it quickly. It was always something to do with homework, or with hacking and coding, or even simply running to the bathroom. She hadn’t bothered trying to talk to him at all, and he’d gotten so used to the constant back and forth chatter, the quirky quips and sarcastic remarks that the silence had become unsettling

He didn’t like it anymore, because it reminded him of his first nights away from home the year prior, when the rooms around him were quiet, and his niece wasn’t waking him up in the morning.

It was unsettling to say the least, and it had been that way since that breakfast.

It wasn’t Hunk’s fault. Of course it wasn’t. He had no idea about the web of lies Lance had spun him in. He had no idea that the _girl_ Lance spoke of was actually Pidge, the person sitting right next to Hunk, who still thought was a boy here at this school.

It wasn’t his fault, and Lance didn’t blame him, but the silence was getting to him. It had only been a week, and yet he felt like they were right back to the beginning of the year. When there were barely any conversations, and fear that she’d snap at him if he woke her up.

That was no way to sit though. To fall asleep like that in her chair was bad for her back and would most likely give it a kink. Lance knew better than to wake her up by now, but he couldn’t just let her sleep like that.

Lance quietly dropped his backpack on his bed, making sure not to disturb her before tip **-** toeing to her desk.

She looked so peaceful. So relaxed. With her eyes closed gently and her lips barely parted, her bangs brushing her eyes under her glasses. Her pale skin glowing in the afternoon light coming in through their window. Music gently playing in her ears.

Lance smiled, tempted to reach up and brush her bangs out of her eyes, but he didn’t. It was already bad enough he was going to try moving her and hope that he wouldn’t get his head bitten off if he woke her up. He had to do this right.

Lance was careful as he settled his hand behind her back, the other going under her thighs, but the moment he touched her, brassy eyes opened up, looking right at him. The brunette jumped back a bit, surprised, while Pidge lifted her head and took off her headphones.

“What are you doing?” She asked him, her lips dropping into a frown.

“Sorry, I thought you were asleep.” Lance apologized, standing up straight to put his hands up. “I was going to try and get you to bed. You know, so like… Your back wouldn’t hurt.”

His explanation was shaky, most likely because he was too concerned she’d snap at him, but she didn’t. Her scrutinizing gaze softened, her eyes looking away as she sat up, the music still playing through her headphones.

“Thanks,” She said, sitting back in her chair. “But no, I wasn’t sleeping. I just…” Her finger slid across her mouse pad lightly. “Needed a break… I was listening to music.”

“I know that now.” Lance retorted, rolling his eyes with a light chuckle. Pidge joined in for a short giggle before sighing, her eyes looking at the screen of her laptop solemnly. “Hey… You okay?” He asked her, resting a hand against her shoulder.

“… Not really.” She replied truthfully, her arms crossing over her chest, as if she were trying to close herself off.

“What’s wrong?” Lance asked her, instantly worried.

“I’ve just… Been stressed.” She replied, sounding not so truthful. “All of this,” She waved her hand at her screen. “Has been getting to me.”

“Oh…” He rubbed her back gently. “I understand.”

“Yeah…” She sighed again.

“What exactly is the problem?” Lance asked her. “I mean I’m no rocket scientist like you are, but maybe I can help somehow.” He offered, moving to lean against her desk.

“I dunno. You know how to hack into a government system surrounded by monitored firewalls?” She asked with a side-long smirk, her eyes looking up at him with just the same amount of humor.

“… Totally,” he responded jokingly. Pidge chuckled, at least enjoying the humor. “Okay, so maybe I can’t help.”

“Nah, don’t worry.” She assured him. “You’ve actually helped me a lot more than you realize.”

“I have…?” He asked, his head tilting to the side, but even after a silent moment went by, she didn’t elaborate on how. Lance figured that maybe that was for the best. Whatever it was she was talking about was something she wasn’t ready to divulge entirely, and that was fine. Pidge was a person who liked to go at her own pace, and he could respect that.

Still, he wanted to know what that meant.

After a while, Pidge leaned back, her head leaning off of her chair as she groaned. Lance found the action slightly endearing, and watched as she reached to scratch at her head. She seemed to be at a loss for what to do.

“So like…” He began, looking at her screen to the bunch of documents with codes opened in from of him. “Firewalls?”

“The garrison has a crap ton of security surrounding their database, and every time I try to worm my way through, they start looking for my IP address.” She explained, lifting her head to look at him, and then her laptop. “I’ve got a blocker that protects it and bounces a different IP address back at them, but not for long. Sooner or later they’re going to work around that, and it doesn’t give me enough time to pull anything out.”

“That stinks,” He uttered.

“Yep.” She popped her lips at the end of her sentence. “Matt was right…” Her voice shook. “This is way harder than I thought it’d be.”

Lance felt guilt sitting heavy in his stomach as Pidge sniffled. The weight on her shoulders was getting heavier and heavier, and there was nothing he could do. Nothing except sit here and comfort her, and hope that it would be enough, but he knew it wasn’t.

“That sucks…” Lance mumbled. “If only you could do something like give them a virus that destroys their security or something.”

“Yeah…” The brunette sighed, tilting her head black again. The room fell quiet for another few moments. Guilt and anxiety settled heavily over them before Pidge lifted her head, as if something just struck her with sudden inspiration. “… I could give it a virus.”

“What?” Lance asked her. Pidge abruptly stood from her chair, running over to her bed and grabbing a book from her bedside.

“I could give it a virus!” She exclaimed, throwing the book on her desk. “It doesn’t need to be anything that would destroy it! It can be something simple they could fix, but something they’d need _time_ to fix! Then I could get into the system while they’re busy handling it, get what I need, and get out!” Pidge grabbed another book from her backpack and tossed that in her chair. “Lance, you’re a genius!”

He wasn’t following, really. So she could do the virus thing, and that would work?

Well if it worked then by all means awesome, but Lance couldn’t even question her frantic behavior before Pidge grabbed at his sweater, tugged him down, and landed a kiss right on his cheek.

It took everything in him not to fall backwards on his butt, but he couldn’t stop the flush from spreading across his cheeks to his ears, and even all the way down his neck. His heart was pounding like crazy, his breath was suddenly harsh, and his eyes were wide like dinner plates, but staring at nothing in particular. He couldn’t make heads or tails of anything except for the girl at her desk, frantically typing up something on her laptop that looked too complicated to even comprehend, so he didn’t try.

Instead, he reached up to touch his cheek, feeling a warmth under his skin blossom where her lips had been. It had been so short, but so sweet. He really hadn’t gotten a chance to totally take in what her lips felt like, but it was enough to have him floating on cloud nine.

He didn’t ever want to come down from this.

* * *

By the time Pidge had finished making the virus, doing all of the technical stuff she told Lance about that went right over his head, and did all the necessary tests that needed to be done, it was eight in the evening. It was only a few hours from curfew and lights out, so the halls and rooms were quieting down. That didn’t matter to them, however.

Pidge was too busy setting up what she needed to while Lance looked at his laptop, staring at the documents opened up, some empty, with a bar at the top right-hand corner. She had managed to plug their laptops up and synced them so that way Lance could monitor download data, as well as the virus’s ROD (Rate of Destruction as he so lovingly called it) while Pidge was preoccupied looking for everything she would need.

All they needed to do now was run the program.

“You ready?” She asked him, looking over to Lance sitting beside her. He nodded his head, looking at her screen as she looked back.

“Let’s do this.”

Pidge took in a deep breath.

“Alright,” She sighed and got started. Lance watched her curiously, her fingers swiftly moving about her keyboard and typing things so fast that his eyes couldn’t keep up. “I’m setting up the virus now.” She told him.

Lance looked to his screen, watching it start moving around on their own, though he knew she was doing it. The status bar she had told him to watch was moving, looking like it was draining from the screen slowly.

“The bar is disappearing,” He said, looking to her.

“Good. That means it’s working.” Pidge said. “I attached this to a file someone on the other side is downloading. That way it’ll look like it came from their side, not me.” She explained, looking to his screen. “Now we just wait until it kicks in.”

“Okay…” He sighed, leaning back in his chair. “So it won’t destroy their security system. It’ll just tamper with it?”

“Basically…” Pidge watched the bar drain. “That way when it’s back online, it’ll look like a simple virus, not a security breach.”

“Wow…” He couldn’t help but utter, blown away by what she was talking about.

Pidge really was amazing. So amazing that he forgot to look at his screen for a moment, just looking at her and taking her in as it disappeared.

“Okay…” She mumbled and began writing typing again. Lance finally looked away and to the screen, noticing the empty documents fill with text. Text she was typing, and text that she wasn’t typing. 

“What’s going on now?” Lance asked.

“It’s kicking in. The system is crashing.” She mumbled. “Keep an eye on the coded file on your left.”

“Got it, but uh. What for?” He asked.

“When they start to get rid of the virus, the code will break down. I need to know when that starts happening so I can have a time frame.” She explained. Lance could see the anxiety rushing through her expression as she continued type. “I have my blocker going at the same time just in case, but that would only buy me a minute or so.”

Lance’s eyes stayed focused on the screen in front of him, completely focused. If he were being honest, he felt like he was in some sort of awesome James Bond movie. Pidge was doing her cool tech stuff, doing coding that didn’t exactly look like how it would in the movies, but still looked pretty cool. She even looked like a hacker of sorts with her round glasses on the edge of her nose and her hair hanging in her face.

She was so freaking cool.

“I’m in!” She exclaimed, almost cheered, but didn’t, because while this was the farthest she had ever gone, she still had to find the files. If they even existed anymore.

That in itself was a challenge.

“Hey Pidge,” Lance said, pointing to the screen. “Some of the lines are disappearing.”

“What? Already?” She gaped, quickly looking at his screen. Sure enough, some of the codes were erasing. “They weren’t supposed to get through it yet!”

“Well how much time do you have left?” He asked her, watching closed as she zoomed through files.

“Not much,” She cursed under her breath, looking through dated files. Systems like this would have to be organized specifically. All she had to do was look back to the year before, find the specific dates Shiro, Matt and her father were back after their mission to Kerberos, and look for files.

It had to be simple. It just had to.

“The lines are disappearing really fast.” Lance uttered, worriedly looking between his screen and hers. Just as he said, the code was disappearing fast than she could click around, looking through what must have been so many files. “Isn’t there a way to download them all?”

“That would take longer than we have,” She practically growled. She wasn’t annoyed with Lance, but the urgency lead her into this sense of panic.

This had to be it. It had to be-

“Pidge,” Lance’s voice held an air of warning, the empty screen at the bottom of the code now visible.

“Hang on!” She bit out. She really hadn’t meant to snap at him, but the more she talked, the quicker she lost focus, and the quicker she lost her focus, the more time she lost. “Wait, wait, wait,” She stopped in the folder marked the date of the day her dad and Matt lost their job. With it was the day before, and she clicked into it, looking at a number of files.

Text documents. Pictures. _Video feeds._ Multiple files, and from what she could see in some screen caps, her family and Shiro within them.

“Did you find it?”

“I don’t know what I found,” She clicked out of it before dragging the entire folder away to her computer, watching the download status bar pop up. “I see my dad in one of the photos.”

“How long is that going to take?” He asked her. “Cause the code is about to disappear.”

Pidge looked to his screen, watching as the last three lines began disappearing. The last two. The last _one_.

The code was gone. Just like that, the virus she had spent a few hours on had been completely destroyed.

They weren’t messing around.

“Pidge-”

“I’ve got a minute left,” She said, looking to her screen. “My IP address is hidden for another minute. I’ve got time.”

“You don’t have any time, Pidge! That’s going to take too long to download!” He exasperated.

“I’m not stopping until it’s done!” She bit out, scowling.

Lance was right. Forty five seconds left, and yet the file was too big to download in that time. There were too many files inside of it, but she couldn’t stop just yet.

“Pidge!” Lance’s voice was filled with as much worry and anxiety as she felt, because it wasn’t just her in this turn of events.

If she was found, that meant Lance was found too, and she had already dragged him into enough of this.

It wasn’t meant to be. Not now at least. She couldn’t bring him down with her.

“Pull your battery!” Pidge shut her laptop and flipped it upside down, cords tangling as she yanked on the external battery of her laptop. Lance did the same, and in a matter of seconds, both laptops were dead.

The two of them backed away, Pidge’s back pressing into Lance’s chest as she held the battery pack close to her chest. At some point during this whole thing, her breathing staggered. Her heart was racing, and she found herself sweating more than she should have. She was even shaking, her body clammy and unsteady against Lance’s own.

He was breathing just as hard, his chest rising and falling behind her head. His hands, which rested against her arms, were damp with sweat, or maybe that was still just her. It was hard to tell. She couldn’t tell if what she heard pounding in her eardrums was his heart or hers. Maybe even both.

A few silent moments passed, the room utterly quiet, unlike before where the rush had their blood pounding in their ears. The anxiety and emotions from before suddenly stagnant.

Everything felt tense, and yet they were too afraid to move.

“… Did… Did you get anything?” Lance asked after a few more quiet seconds, his hands squeezing around her arms. Almost unconsciously did Pidge tighten her grip around the battery pack.

“… I-I don’t know.” Pidge replied, her voice shaking. She moved forward, her legs heavy like they were filled with lead. She felt like her body was moving on its own, heavy and weighed down.

She went back to the desk, Lance close on her heel, watching as she quietly put the battery back into her laptop. She flipped it over, turned it back on, and let it boot up, all the while not saying a word, and he didn’t bother to try make her talk.

After a few moments and a long password later, it was on, and Pidge went looking for the folder she had so hastily put into her computer. If it even existed, that is.

Somewhere in her mind, she was well aware that Lance was standing over her, a hand resting on her shoulder while the other sat on her desk. He was looking too, just and stiff and quiet as she was, waiting until she came across the folder hidden away in a secure file.

“Is anything there?” He asked her as she opened it. Only one file sat in it, but it was small. A small chunk of video out of all of the other footage, pictures, and files that had actually been stored away made it through.

“It might be corrupted from canceling the download…” She mentioned, clicking on it to open it.

The video wasn’t even a full thirty seconds, and for a few minutes, Pidge struggled to open it. It was indeed corrupted, just as she had said, and yet she managed to mess around with it until it could open.

The screen was greyscale colors of a lab, probably something inside the garrison, with three figures standing inside of it.

Lance quickly recognized Matt and Shiro, because he knew both of them. He could only assume that they older gentlemen standing beside them with a smile so familiar was Sam Holt, her father.

The three of them were talking amongst each other, laughing at something it seemed that Shiro had said. The footage was silent, but they were sure if that’s how it was already, or if that part of the file had been corrupted.

“Look,” Pidge suddenly said, pausing the video to point up at the corner. Lance followed her finger, looking at the date and time stamped on the top hand corner of the screen.

“What am I looking at?” Lance asked her, frowning at it.

“Hold on,” Pidge clicked out of the video for a moment to pull up another file, another _video_ she’d had. He remembered seeing her pull this video up months ago. “Look…”

When the video was up, Lance looked to the corner of the screen where she pointed.

_Wednesday, August 12 th_

_0100_

The brunette looked to the video she had pulled off of the system from the Garrison.

_Wednesday, August 12 th_

_1630_

Two totally different time stamps from the same day.

“Wait…” He mumbled, looking back at the screen from the footage he had seen once before. The footage that had been shown to the news a year ago, when word had gotten out of a huge destruction of government property, and the world had known of “The Holts” and their crime.

Yet the other video showed the same footage from a totally different time of the day. It was the same though, and his mind took longer than it needed to, to realize what he was looking at. To understand that what he was looking at was two completely different files.

The footage that had been on the news had been doctored. Just as Pidge had said. What he was looking at was the actual footage.

The proof that they hadn’t done anything.

“Oh my god…” He mumbled.

They hadn’t done it. Sam, Matt and Shiro really hadn’t done anything. What they had been convicted of was indeed a lie; a false accusation to cover up something the government had done.

Pidge had been right.

She had been _right._

When he heard a raspy sound, he looked down at the brunette standing in front of him. At Pidge, covering her mouth with her hand while tears poured from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, but he wasn’t sure what it was she was crying from at this point.

“Pidge…” He mumbled, tugging on her shoulder gently. She followed his lead, turning from the screen to crumple against him.

Her arms wrapped around his chest, hands clinging to the back of his sweater as she cried into his shoulder. He kept her close, his arms tightening around her small form, hugging her with all he had to silently reassure her that it was alright. That she’d be okay. That _they’d_ be okay.

Everything would be okay.

“Shh, Pidge…” He whispered, his face pressing into the top of her head, his fingers lightly carding through her hair. “It’s okay… You were right…”

“T-They didn’t do i-it…” She sobbed into his sweater, shaking against him as every ounce of fear that had been built up poured out of her.

Lance began rocking steadily, trying his best to comfort her, but he knew this wasn’t sadness or anger. All of this was relief. Fear and anxiety flooding from her body like a dam had burst open. And an overwhelming sense of happiness from knowing that she had been right.

She had probably been so afraid. Not just for her family, but for the idea that maybe she was _wrong._ That maybe her father, Matt and Shiro really had done something, despite everything they said and everything that told her that they absolutely _wouldn’t_ ever do anything like that. They would never do anything to jeopardize their jobs, their families – their _lives –_ and she knew it, but she'd still had that tiny shred of doubt deep inside.

Lance couldn’t deny that he thought the same. He wanted to believe that she was telling the truth, but there had been a part of him that wondered: _What if they had done it?_

They hadn’t. This small, broken clip with its original time and date was enough proof for the both of them to show that they were innocent. That her family was innocent and had been abused by a higher power. Even Shiro had been taken advantage of.

“They didn’t do it…” He assured her, feeling her tears seep into his sweater. “You did it, Pidge. You got what you needed…”

Did that mean that she would leave?

“No,” She shook her head, sniffling to control herself. She leaned back just a bit to look up at him, wiping her eyes against her palms and huffing to steady her breathing. “I-It’s not enough…”

“What do you mean?” Lance asked her, leaning back to look down at her.

“The file is too corrupted. People won’t believe it’s the real thing.” She lamented, looking back at the screen. The video feed from a year ago still played on a loop. “They’ll think it’s something I doctored. Not to mention the Garrison will know that it was me who found this if I put it out as is.”

Pidge looked back at him, her red eyes peering up at him in the now dim lighting of the room. They didn’t even know how late it was.

“It’s not enough. This will never be enough to convince the world they didn’t do it.”

“Okay, okay…” Lance nodded his head, lightly guiding her to rest her head back against his chest.

Pidge easily went along, resting against his body, her arms wound tight around him so there was no space between them, letting her sob her frustrations, her anxiety, and her relief against him.

* * *

He wasn’t entirely sure how long they laid there, how long they were awake for, nor how long they stared up at the speckled shadows of snowflakes dancing on the ceiling. He wasn’t sure what time it was, and he didn’t care that they would probably sleep right through breakfast when they did fall asleep.

All he cared about was the girl laying against him, her brassy eyes staring up at the ceiling with him, taking in the dancing figures of snow like they were the most unusual sight known to man. Her pale skin glowing in the dark, and yet he could tell she was blushing.

He could feel it every time she took in a deep breath. He could feel every now and again when her fingers would twitch against his chest, or every time they tugged lightly at his sweater or the blanket over them. Whenever she did he would look away and look to her fondly, smiling as she looked at him with those big eyes of hers.

He reached over, brushing her bangs from her face. Her eyes closed momentarily to feel the sensation, her smile softening into something more tired. Her chest rose with a deep breath, her body lax against him, and her mind at ease. At least for the moment.

“Hey Lance…” She mumbled, looking up at him.

“Yeah…?”

“I lied…” She admitted, looking away when Lance frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“This whole week, I… I mean I was stressed and stuff, but it wasn’t really because of the Garrison…” She responded, shifting uncomfortably against him. Her hands pressed against his chest, her fingers just barely brushing the bare skin above the collar of his sleep shirt.

“It wasn’t…?” Lance asked. His hand settled against her hip.

“No, it wasn’t.” She looked up shyly. “I-I was… Upset after Hunk told me you had a girlfriend back home…”

“Pidge…” He mumbled, but she kept going.

“I-I don’t why. I was just confused, a-and hurt I guess. You didn’t say anything about her, and you didn’t say you were dating. I had heard you say you didn’t like me either, and I thought you were just being dragged along, because you had to-”

“Pidge,” Lance covered her mouth gently, stopping her rambling so he could get a few words in. “You’ve got it all wrong. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“What?” She asked, her voice muffled behind his hand. He pulled it back to let her speak. “But Hunk said you had someone back home. He said she might come here.”

“Pidge, I lied.” He told her. “Hunk was asking a lot of questions about you, and I got worried he was starting to get suspicious, so I just told him that to distract him.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly what happened, but she didn’t need to know that. So long as she knew he didn’t have someone else in his life besides her, that was all that mattered.

“Really…?” He could see the relief flood across her expression.

“Of course!” Lance assured her, lightly squeezing her shoulder. “And the whole liking thing wasn’t about you. It was about some other kid in our class. He was just messing with me.”

Pidge frowned, as if she didn’t believe that, and he couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t stupid. She heard them right, but he wasn’t sure how to explain why Hunk would tease him about possible feelings for another guy when he had already lied and said he liked a girl back home. It didn’t make any sense, but it was the best he could come up with.

“Pidge,” Lance smiled as he lifted his hand, carefully brushing his fingers over her cheek. “You’re right up there with Hunk. You’re my best friend. Why would I lie to you about that?”

That seemed to be enough to quell her worries, at least for the time being. Pidge was smart, and sooner or later that big brain of hers was going to figure out he was lying. Assuming that she hadn’t already.

However, she must have given up on the argument, be it from a lack of one, or just simply because she was exhausted. These last few hours had been taxing on the both of them, and they were tired. They thankfully didn’t have classes tomorrow, and that time would be well spent sleeping in.

Pidge smiled, her cheeks flushing red before she cuddled up to his chest. Her forehead pressed into his collar bone, her free arm wrapping around his waist while the other was trapped between their chests. She practically curled into his side, fitting exactly right, like a piece to a puzzle, and Lance didn’t mind.

He curled around her, his arms tugging her close and his head resting on top of her head. Their legs were a tangled mess, and Lance was having a hard time telling where his started and hers ended.

It only took a few minutes for Pidge to fall asleep, comfortably situated in Lance’s arms with her eyes closed softly. Lance followed on only a few moments later, though a thought kept nagging at the back of his head.

Why would she have been upset if Lance did have a girlfriend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, huge thanks for Hail again for proofing this, because with both of my jobs, I have no time to sleep let alone proof stuff. X'D


	15. The Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It had been a long weekend, including the Cherry Blossom festival where it was, get this, forty degrees and raining. Yep. The trees were beautiful, but the cold and rain made it so hard to enjoy them. Y_Y So that's why this chapter is coming up so late. Hope you enjoy!  
> I'm sure you will. ;)

Lance did a twirl, looking at himself up and down before adjusting the collar around his neck.

“Hm,” He nodded his head lightly, fixing the bow tie at his neck. “Not too shabby if I do say so myself.”

Lance had picked out a black tux from his brother Luis because Marco was bigger and bulkier than he was and Luis had a similar frame to him. It was a simple tux, but Lance figured it was best to accentuate it with the most obnoxiously bright blue bow tie he could find in the store in town. He wanted the one with the stars, but Pidge had vehemently said no.

As for the woman herself, she hadn’t come out of the bathroom for almost two hours now. She had told she was getting ready, but what was taking her so long?

Oh god. Did she know how to put on a tux?

“Pidge…?” He called out, looking towards their bathroom door.

“Almost done!” She answered from inside.

“You said that ten minutes ago!”

“This time I mean it,” Came her reply. Lance rolled his eyes, scoffing under his breath.

“Well could you hurry up? At least finish so you can tell me how I look,” He suggested, taking a look back in the mirror to look at himself. He ran his fingers through his hair, slicking back wisps of loose strands that refused to stay put in the hairspray. “And can I have the hairspray again?”

“You’re going to choke on all of the spray in it.” She muttered, opening the door enough to just barely stick her arm out, hairspray in hand.

“Thank you very much.” Lance took it from her, waiting for just a moment to watch her bare arm pull back in before the door shut. “You still aren’t dressed?”

“I’m working on it!”

“Pidge, if you don’t know how to put a tux on, I can help.” Lance assured her, turning away to fix his hair. “I’ve only done it a couple times, so I wouldn’t call myself a master, but it’s not rocket science.” He said over the spray.

“That’s not my problem.” She said, but followed up with something he couldn’t hear.

“What?”

“Nothing! Just a few more seconds!” Lance groaned, his shoulders dropping as he walked over to his desk and leaned on it.

“We’re gonna be late.” He mentioned, looking at the time on the clock.

“I thought all the cool kids were fashionably late!” Lance could hear her dropping stuff.

“Yeah, but if you go early, you get the good, fresh snacks and drinks.” Lance picked up his phone, checking his text messages. One from Hunk simply telling him that he and Shay were at the gym already, and another from Luis telling him to have a good time, and to not get anyone pregnant.

_‘Haha, very funny. I’m in a school full of guys, doofus.’_

He paused with his thumb hovering over the send button when the bathroom door opened. He looked up, fully prepared to see Pidge struggling with a tie, or having a hard time with the buttons of her coat (tux’s weren’t that hard to put on, Pidge), but that wasn’t the case at all.

His pulse picked up, eyes widening and lips parting slightly at the sight of her standing in front of him, dressed up in a knee length, green dress, accented with fine, satin, sheer fabric up her sides and down her arms. Thin, glittering material covered her collar bone, down the front of her forearms and falling softly just above her fingers. She wore a dark choker lined with ribbon on her pale skin, and earrings that looked like stars from where he leaned against his desk.

She stood a few inches taller than normal thanks to the help of her flattering high heels (Lance had no idea that she was coordinated enough to walk in), and her eyes…

Was she wearing make-up?

Her skin looked clean and clear, her eyes enhanced by a light purple eyeshadow that sparkled with glitter. Even her lips looked a bit shinier than usual, and Lance would know, because he’d noticed that he had been spending an unusual amount of time looking at them recently. Her hair was up, curled and pinned precariously, with just one braid wrapped around side, letting her bangs fall around the sides of her face.

“How do I look?” She asked, twirling just a bit so Lance could see the whole dress. His throat went dry.

Her back was completely bare.

“Wow…” He uttered, standing up straighter. “Y-You look… Wow…”

Pidge flushed, her bare shoulders shrugging slightly.

“Sorry it took so long. I can’t do make-up to save my life.” She looked away sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

“N-No, no. It’s fine. I mean… You look amazing.”

Stunning. Beautiful. Gorgeous. A whole bunch of other words his brain couldn’t seem to produce right now. None of them were anywhere near a good enough word to describe how incredibly pretty she looked.

“Thanks,” She said, her hands fumbling behind her back. “I know it’s a bit risky, but you said other guys dress up like girls sometimes, so I figured… Why not?”

“If you were to enter the competition tonight, you’d definitely win,” Lance assured her.

“I feel like there is some form of cheating here.” She giggled, and Lance joined in with a short chortle.

“Where did you manage to get a dress anyway?” Lance asked, stepping away from his desk to come up close and look down at her.

“It’s actually mine. I wore it once for a formal event the Garrison was having, and I had to wear something fancy.” She explained, messing with the ends by her knees. “Although it’s shorter now. Surprisingly I grew an inch since then.”

“Surprisingly?” He asked, laughing softly as he held out his arm for her. “Well then. Shall we, my lady?”

Pidge’s smile was as bright as her eyes.

“Yes we shall.” She hooked her arm through his, letting him lead her out of their room.

* * *

“This is so much fancier than the Garrison’s parties.” Pidge mentioned, looking around the gym to the soft blue and green lights illuminating the room, particularly the dance floor. There were hanging stars and planets above their heads, and tables nicely decorated, covered with white tablecloths and laden with snacks, drinks, and balloons.

The DJ was already playing music, something a bit slower, but still equally pumped up enough to get everyone moving. Just as Lance had said, she wasn’t the only girl there.

Or maybe those were guys. It was hard to tell with the dim lighting of the room.

“Are you telling me that the Garrison doesn’t outdo themselves with high school decorations for formal events?” Lance asked her, looking down at the top of her curled hair, seeing where her little braid was pinned back.

“Only when the president is in town,” She retorted, making him laugh.

“Hey guys!” A voice called out to them over the music. The two teens turned around, watching as Hunk forced himself through the small crowd of people nearby, girls and guys alike, with someone not straying far from his side.

“Hey Hunk,” Lance said with a wave as the two of them came up. Not too far off, he could even see Rolo with his own date following, having a harder time weaving through the dancing teens.

“Hi Hunk,” Pidge greeted.

“Wow Pidge!” Hunk mused, staring wide eyed at her. “Is that really you? You look fantastic!”

“Thanks,” She said. “I tried to look convincing.”

“Oh,” The girl beside Hunk uttered, covering her mouth. “You’re one of the students here?”

“Yeah, this is Pidge.” Hunk introduced. “Pidge, Lance, this is Shay.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet the girl Hunk never shuts up about.” Lance greeted, holding out his hand for the taller teen to take. She did, giggling under her breath at the way Hunk glared at him from her side.

Shay was indeed a very pretty girl, and definitely Hunk’s type. She was almost as tall as he was, which said a lot for all of Hunk’s impressive over six feet tall height. She wasn’t as big as him, but she wasn’t a thin model on the front of a magazine either, which was fine. She looked the type like a girl who could appreciate all of Hunk’s great cooking, which made her even more perfect for him. To top it off, her short, shaggy hair and big, bright eyes were what really accentuated her look, and made her even more of a catch.

Hunk was a lucky guy, but she was also a lucky girl.

“Oh please, Lance.” Hunk grumbled, hoping his best friend would lighten up on him. Sure, he’d teased him a couple of weeks back, but he hoped that Lance would let that go so he could make a good impression on Shay tonight.

“Evening everybody,” Rolo and his date finally came up to all of them, the teen dressed in a horrible off-color white that made him stand out amongst everyone. His date, however, was dressed to the nine with a long, flowing blue dress, her back and collar bone exposed where the dress cut down low. Her long, blonde hair was up in an array of eccentric curls and loops, something Pidge could never reciprocate with her short, shaggy tresses.

Now _she_ was the type of girl you’d find on the front of a magazine.

“Hey Rolo,” Hunk waved at him while Lance offered a smile.

“I’d like you guys to meet Nyma,” Rolo said, winding a hand around her slim waist and bringing her close.

“Hello,” She greeted with a big, gentle smile.

“Nice to meet you, Nyma,” Lance greeted.

“Nyma, this is Hunk, Shay, Lance and Pidge.” Rolo listed off as he pointed to each of them, but stopped on Pidge. “Who is… Looking pretty realistic. Are those real?” He asked, starting down at her chest.

“Of course not.” Pidge laughed him off, but after a few seconds of staring, she turned her body towards Lance. “Okay, but stop staring. That’s weird,” She remarked with a frown.

“Sorry, sorry.” He held up his hands defensively. “I’m just trying to figure out how you did it. When I dressed up last year, the apples I was using kept falling everywhere.”

To that, Nyma, Shay and Pidge all snickered. Even Lance turned away to cover his face, holding back laughter.

“They did. It was a riot,” Hunk told them all. “It was even funnier when he lost his wig, and Lance ran away with it through the halls. Principal Iverson was _mad_.”

“Still the best dance to date,” Lance proudly stated.

“You guys just had to mention that part.” Rolo sighed, slowly shaking his head.

The music in the room was starting to pound, the loud base shaking through their feet. The conversation they were having was being drowned out by it, but that seemed to be fine. Lance was bobbing his head to the beat, feeling the need to dance. He looked over to Pidge, ready to ask, but she already seemed to have the same idea.

“Wanna dance?” He asked her, resting a hand on the small of her back.

“Absolutely,” She grinned up at him widely.

“We’ll see you guys later,” Lance told the others, waving a hand towards them. There were short goodbyes before they left, heading towards a less densely area of the dance floor. They most definitely didn’t want to be in the middle of all of this, where people were smooshed together. “You going to show me some moves this time around?” He asked her as he wound his hands around her waist, pulling her close.

“Try to keep up,” She challenged, her lips pulling into a mischievous smirk.

It was clearly a challenge on her part, and Lance had no problem accepting it.

* * *

They weren’t sure how long they had been there. They weren’t sure how long they had danced together, pressed close, lost in the music; for Lance, lost in her eyes.

By now he was sweating in his tux, his nicely styled hair out of place, strands of it resting on his sweat soaked fringe. Pidge’s own hair was beginning to look a little tousled, and a few of her curls had fallen out of place while they were dancing. Her pale skin glimmered under the hot lights with a fresh sheen of sweat, and her breathing was raspy, just like his own, but they didn’t stop until the music changed, slowing down into a tempo that didn’t match their dancing.

The two of them stopped, staring up at each other with a tender gaze. Lance held out his hand for her, hoping with a pounding heart that she’d take it, and she did.

He pulled her close, resting his other hand on her waist, albeit awkwardly as she settled close against him, her free hand sitting on his shoulder.

It was easy like this. They took up the stance without a word, just silent exchanges that did the talking for them, even if it felt awkward.

Pidge had most certainly never done this before. She had danced with her brother and father when she was young, standing on their toes and letting them dance for her while she held her hands around their waists, and while she was still short in comparison to Lance’s height, she wasn’t short enough to do what she had done back there. She was just tall enough to rest her head against his shoulder if she wanted to, and she kind of did.

Lance had danced like this before with plenty of girls. He was the kid girls wanted to dance with at birthday parties when he was a kid, and at his sister’s quinceañera, where he got to dance with a bunch of family. This wasn’t anything new, and yet dancing with someone he really liked, a small genius trying to save her family, was a completely different situation.

His heart was pounding like crazy, his legs shaking ever so slightly. He felt like his hands would do the same if he wasn’t holding her, but he knew his palms were a bit sweaty. Or maybe hers were. It was hard to tell at this point.

He felt like getting closer. He felt like pulling her against his chest and holding her, because he didn’t care what anyone saw. It wasn’t like anyone was focused on them and what they were doing, and yet he didn’t.

He didn’t know how Pidge felt. As far as he knew, she didn’t care for him the way he did her, and she didn’t see a future with him the way he did with her. He could imagine her standing by his side all he wanted, but he knew that the outcome he envisioned probably wasn’t the end game.

Lance sighed. The disappointment was evident in the way his expression fell, and how his steps slowed into something far slower than her own.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Huh…?” He blinked back his surprise. “Oh, nothing. I’m just trying to remember some fancy steps. That’s all.” He assured her, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Don’t do anything fancy,” She told him with a small smile. “I don’t want to step on your feet.”

“Even if you did, how much could it possibly hurt?” He joked. “You’re what? Ninety pounds?”

“Hey… I’m one hundred and five.”

“Ohh, big difference.” He mused, and Pidge laughed. Clearly she didn’t take any of his teasing to heart. “Don’t worry. I can’t remember the moves anyway.”

“That’s good,” She breathed as she looked to the side. Her smile quickly fell, however, and was replaced with a deep frown and concern.

“What’s wrong?” He asked her.

“Uhm… Nothing…” She stepped back, pulling her hands back to her side. “I just… Have to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh, okay,” Lance agreed, but there was something in his stomach that didn’t sit right with those words. Her expression didn’t really follow her words. “I’ll just be at a table when you get back.”

“Okay…” She offered up a small, quick smile before jogging away as fast as she could in her heels, her small form disappearing in the crowd. Lance watched her go, a little voice in his head telling him that maybe he should follow, but instead, he sluggishly wandered off the dance floor, searching for the table where Hunk and Shay sat, talking.

“Hey,” He made his presence known to the two teens who were so distracted staring at each other and talking, that they hadn’t even seen him walk up.

“Oh, hey!” Hunk replied, sitting up straighter while his cheeks flushed. It was impressive to see his friend blush. It was so hard to get him to do that.

“You guys having a good time?” Lance asked them, taking a seat on the other side of the table. “You know, all the dancing?”

“We haven’t actually danced yet,” Shay mentioned, shyly looking away. Hunk’s hand moved to rub the back of his neck.

“Oh, I see,” Lance teased.

“Lance,” Hunk practically whined. “Please don’t.”

“I’m not doing anything.” Lance said, throwing his hands up. “I just admire you two, that’s all. Pidge and I spent this whole time dancing.”

“I know. We saw you guys.” Hunk said with a smile. “You looked like you guys were having fun.”

“Definitely.” Lance said, leaning back in his chair. “I was about ready to get a drink too before he went to the bathroom. I’m parched.”

“I’m a little thirsty too.” Shay mumbled, moving to stand. “I’m going to go get drinks. Lance, what would you like?”

“You don’t have to get me anything, Shay.” He assured her.

“No, it’s okay. It won’t be a long trip.” She insisted, and her smile was so kind and caring that he caved quickly.

“Well… Water would be great.” He gave in.

“Hunk, would you like anything?” She asked her date.

“No, I’m okay.” He told her. “Thanks though.”

“Alright. I’ll be right back.” She said just before turning to head for the drink table.

“Look at you two being all domestic.” Lance mused, his eyebrows wiggling in a sly manner. Hunk’s hand hit the table in front of him with a loud thump, making him jump in his chair in surprise.

“What was _that?”_ He asked, his voice rising, but still fogged over the music.

“W-What was what?” Lance asked, sitting up straight in his chair.

“That!” Hunk said, pointing to the dance floor. “You and Pidge?”

“Huh…?”

“Lance,” Hunk put his other hand down on the table, leaning in towards the brunet in front of him. “Buddy. Pal. Friend of mine. Best bud.”

“What?” Lance asked, his shoulders dropping.

“Listen,” Hunk continued. “I get you said there’s this girl back home, and you’ve got feelings for her and all that jazz,” He waved his hand for emphasis. “But _that,_ what we just saw, was not nothing. Don’t even deny it.”

“I-I don’t-” Hunk covered Lance’s mouth with a finger.

“You like him.” He stated bluntly. Too bluntly, and Lance flushed at the immediate implications.

“What? I-I don’t- What are- How could-?”

“Take your time to let it settle in. I’ll wait.” His friend leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hunk, I don’t like him.” Lance insisted, anxiety rising under his knowing gaze. “He’s my friend, sure, but-”

“No buts.” Hunk stopped him again. “Lance, what I saw wasn’t just a friend. You two were so close to each other. So comfortable and relaxed. That’s not nothing.”

“We’re good friends.” Lance protested.

“You like him,” Hunk replied. “And believe it or not, Lance, he likes you too.”

“How can you be so sure?” Lance asked him, crossing his arms in a posture similar to Hunk’s.

“The look in his eyes, Lance.” He explained. “The way he looks at you like he would trust you with his life. With his _everything._ He looks at you like you’re the most important person to him,” Hunk explained, tossing his hands around in a show of enthusiasm. “It’s not just tonight either! It’s at breakfast, lunch and dinner, when you turn your back, and in class.

Lance visibly stiffened in his seat at the words, slightly hunched over while Hunk’s monologue made an important place in his mind.

“His eyes are always on you.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m _right,”_ Hunk argued. “He _likes_ you _,_ Lance. I don’t know why you’re so adamant about not seeing it, but I know you’ve got a thing for him too.”

“I don’t…” Lance tried to argue, but Hunk looked him squarely in the eye, shutting him up.

“What are you so afraid of?” He asked him. “Are you afraid he doesn’t like you? Because he definitely does.”

“It’s not-“

“Are you afraid, because he’s a guy?”

“Of course not!” He exclaimed.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s…” Lance stopped.

How did he even explain this without revealing everything?

“… So there is something here,” Hunk queried when Lance didn’t respond right away.

“… There’s no future for us, Hunk.” He admitted, his hands splayed out on the table in front of him.

“What are you talking about?”

“Pidge lives hundreds of miles in one direction, and I live hundreds of miles in the other. I want one thing after school, and he wants another. What’s the point of chasing after something I know isn’t going to end well?”

“Can you say for certain that you know the outcome?” Hunk questioned. “Can you really tell me right now that something won’t change in the last two years of our high school life?”

Hunk didn’t know. He didn’t know what Pidge’s plans were, so how could he be so sure?

“Because I know…”

“I think you’re just making excuses.” Hunk stood up for just a moment to scoot his chair closer to him before settling down again. He rested a hand on his shoulder, offering up a sympathetic smile. “It’s freaking scary, but don’t miss this opportunity, Lance. Don’t sit in a rocking chair sixty years from now regretting this. Take the leap, so that way at least you could say you did it.”

“And what if he doesn’t feel the same?” Lance asked, hunching over the table slightly. “What if I just go and ruin our friendship, and then I have to live with him and that constant tension in our room for the next four months?”

“What if he does like you, and what you get out of it is a beautiful relationship?” Hunk replied with a question, his own shoulders shrugging. “There’s two outcomes here, Lance. Stop wasting time wondering what could happen with the latter.”

Per the usual annoyance that it was, Hunk was right. Just as he always was. He may not have known the whole story, but he knew enough to draw a solid conclusion.

Pidge didn’t have plans to stay. She was going to leave the second she got what she needed, and he’d most likely never see her again, but until then, would it be so bad to divulge in his wants? To tell her how he felt in hopes that she’d reciprocate his feelings?

Hunk said she liked him back. He _saw_ it, apparently, and Hunk was usually right about these things.

If that was true, then maybe taking the leap would be something worth going for.

“… I-I need to… Go find Pidge,” He mumbled, slowly sitting up. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, and his arms felt like jello. The music that had been pounding in his ears had dwindled to nothing, and all he could hear was the blood rushing and his heart pounding.

“That’s my boy, Lance!” Hunk cheered for him. “Make him swoon!”

“You-Just…!” Lance blustered at him before running away. No one would have heard his hollering over the music, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t embarrassing.

He heard just a bit of his best friend’s laughter before he disappeared from the gym, wandering into the halls where just a few people were hiding. It was so much quieter compared to in there, and it was almost like a breath of fresh air. It was also colder than the gym, but maybe that was just all of the dancing he had been doing.

Lance continued down the hall towards the bathrooms, away from the small group of teens and into the empty halls where no one was. Not even a soul in the bathrooms, which were empty.

He frowned as he looked around, hearing voices (an argument?) from the direction of one of the classrooms. His curiosity got the better of him, his feet carrying him without much of a thought towards an empty classroom, which for whatever reason, was unlocked.

“-been months!”

“I’m doing the best I can!”

Lance heard voices, one he instantly recognized as Pidge, and the other vaguely familiar. He just couldn’t figure out where he knew it from.

“I don’t think it should be so hard to get what you need!”

“If you think it’s that easy, then you do it!”

Lance looked through the window of the door, even though it was already cracked open, peeking inside the empty class room that wasn’t so empty. He could see Pidge standing not far from the doors, standing behind someone whose back was to him. He couldn’t see their face, only the oddly dark, red jacket and black hair cut into the shape of a familiar mullet.

“Just what are you doing here in the first place? What’s taking you so long?”

The person who Lance couldn’t see threw his hands up in an exasperated motion towards Pidge.

“I’m doing exactly what I came here to do!” She bit out at them.

“Right, because this looks like you’re deep into Garrison files right about now.” He scoffed, reaching down to tug at the hem of her dress. “By the way, great disguise. Way to flaunt you’re a girl.”

“Don’t do that, Keith!” She snapped at the teen, snatching her dress from his grip and taking a few steps back.

Keith? As in the kid who had punched Iverson in the face, and then promptly got expelled for it?

A number of questions arose from just the identification of the mysterious teen, the biggest being how he knew Pidge. What was he doing here? How did she know him? Why was he alone with Pidge in this empty classroom, having an argument on top of it?

More importantly, he knew she was a girl. That meant he knew _Katie,_ as well as the rest of the Holts. He was involved in her plan against the Garrison somehow, but that wasn’t the biggest concern on Lance’s mind right now.

What bothered him more was that he dared to put his hands on her.

“Hey!” He snapped, stepping out from the hallway and into the classroom where the two teens were. Both Pidge and Keith jumped, the taller teen turning to look at him while Pidge looked past his shoulder.

“Lance…?” She questioned. “W-What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you,” Lance shoved past Keith, intentionally bumping shoulders with him. He already hadn’t liked him much before when Keith was in the school, but for him to go and pull on her dress?

An absolute no.

“We’re having a private conversation,” Keith told him, the annoyance in his tone obvious. Maybe that was on purpose.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, his shoulders stiffening as Lance moved behind Pidge, setting a hand on her waist.

“You’re insane if you think I’m going to let you touch her again,” The brunet practically growled.

“Her…?” Keith uttered. His dark eyes traveled down to Pidge, watching as the guilt swept across her expression. “He knows?”

“He found out months ago…” She admitted, her voice dropping. “But he’s been helping me.”

“Oh my god…” Keith’s head tilted back, a sigh leaving him as he took in the information. “Are you serious right now?”

“He hasn’t told anyone.” She explained, but he seemed like he wasn’t having any of it.

“I can’t believe this.” His hands darted out from his sides. “This is all some big joke to you, isn’t it?”

“Of course not!” She exclaimed.

“Shiro is at home trying to afford food, and you’re here playing dress up!”

“It’s not like that at all, Keith!”

“Even _your family_ is suffering, and you’re just wasting your time!”

“Back off!” Lance forced her back to stand in front of her, forcing his angry gaze off of her and on him. “For your information, she’s already gotten some evidence from the systems! So don’t get all high and mighty when you’re sitting at home doing nothing!”

“Stay out of this, McClain!” Keith bit out.

“Stop it!” Pidge forced herself between them, putting some distance between the two before things got ugly. “Just stop!”

“So what’s he saying, Katie?” Keith asked, looking back down at her. “You have evidence, and you aren’t even putting it out there?”

“I can’t. The file got corrupted when I tried to get it from the Garrison, and it’s not enough! No one would believe it if they saw it!”

“But you still have it?” Keith questioned her.

“Yes!”

“Then why are you wasting your time at a stupid dance when you should be getting more out of the systems?”

“It’s not that easy Keith! I’m trying, but I can’t get in that fast without them catching me!”

“You can’t just use a blocker?”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried that already?” Lance reached out, pulling her back by the shoulders when he heard her voice catch.

“Some genius you are then,” Keith growled, pointing a finger at her that nearly poked her chest, but stopped short. Lance would have gone after him if he touched her again. “While you keep wasting your time, our families are suffering. Take your time if you want, but I’m not letting Shiro fall because of your laziness.”

With that as his final words, Keith turned away and stormed from the room, leaving the two younger teens by themselves. The classroom felt eerily quiet now, the atmosphere thick with tension and weight over their heads, but Lance figured what he felt was not nearly as bad as what Pidge must have been feeling.

“… Pidge?” He mumbled, resting a hand on her upper back, feeling her warm, exposed skin. He felt her muscles stiffen under his touch, noticing the way she wasn’t breathing.

“I-I’m fine…” She uttered, her shoulders shaking. “I…”

“Pidge…” His voice lowered into almost a whisper, reaching up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. “It’s okay…”

“… Let’s go back.” She muttered, straightening her back.

“Back to our room?”

“No, back to the gym.” She shook her head lightly and began to walk forward.

“Pidge-”

“No Lance, I’m fine.” She assured him, but she wouldn’t look him in the eyes. Lance had a feeling he understood why. “Let’s go back to the dance.”

Lance watched her as she walked away from him, his stomach dropping. He followed only a few seconds later, staying close to her side as they walked down the hall where kids began to pop up, and eventually back to the gym.

The slow music was loud and unwelcoming to his ears, the flashing lights blinding, and the air hot. He didn’t feel comfortable here anymore like he had earlier, and a lot of that had to do with how Pidge was feeling.

“Pidge…” He mumbled again, taking up her hand in his. “You don’t have to do this… We can go back.”

“I wanna do this…” Her voice shook, much like her resolve. He gave her hand a little squeeze, a silent reassurance and hopes that she would understand what he was trying to communicate without having to say it, but she didn’t respond. She simply walked forward, pulling Lance with her with a light tug on his hand.

The two of them walked to the middle of the dance floor, taking a spot close to where they had been before, huddled behind couples and ignored by almost everyone. Unlike before, however, Lance rested both of his hands on her waist while Pidge looped her arounds around his shoulders, dropping her head to sit on his shoulder.

The taller teen lowered his head, pressing his chin into her hair and closing his eyes as they swayed to the music, a slow dance with barely any space between them. Their feet carried them to the music, the world around them disappearing, and for the time being, Lance forgot that maybe Hunk was probably still watching them, making sure Lance went through with his… Whatever he had planned to go through.

He hadn’t really thought it through. The idea that Pidge could like him back, and as much as he liked her, had him seeking her out before he could think the whole situation through. The worries and concerns, the eventual end game they both knew of was still there; none of that had changed within ten minutes, and it was enough to keep Lance’s lips sealed shut. At least for now.

He sighed again, his cheek pressing against the top of her head before he heard a sniffle. He looked down, feeling her body shake against him while he saw the first tears roll down her cheeks.

“Pidge…” He mumbled, reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheek. Pidge swallowed back the pain she was holding in, pressing her cheek against his hand. “You’re going to ruin the makeup you spent forever working on.”

The light joke had its intended effect. Pidge smiled, giggling past her pain for just a moment. Lance could tell she was trying her hardest to keep herself together, especially in a room full of their peers, but it was hard. Her heart was aching, and Lance wasn’t sure what else he could do to help her besides stand here and hold her.

“L-Lance…” She mumbled, looking up with glassy eyes and a tear stained face. His hand hadn’t left her cheek for a moment. “D-Do you remember… When you said that you didn’t care if people were watching, and that moments like this people wouldn’t remember years from now?”

“Yeah…” He remembered saying that months ago before the long holiday break. He had said it at the party where her drink had been spiked, when they were dancing all awkward and uncomfortable, because they weren’t nearly as close then as they were now. They hadn’t even been very comfortable touching, unlike now where they were dancing as close as they were.

“Can this be one of those moments?” She asked him, her eyes fond and glimmering with something, dare he think, hopeful.

His heart pounded hard in his chest at the thought, the music drowning out from the gym. The world around them was gone, faded away and leaving just the two of them in their own little bubble where nothing and no one could come for them.

Lance’s hand curled around her ear and behind her head, holding lightly at the back of her neck as he leaned down. Before his eyes closed, he noticed how her own slip shut, and how she stood up on her tiptoes to accommodate for the height difference.

His heart was racing as their noses brushed together, feeling her warm breath against his lips before the room erupted with applause.

The two of them opened their eyes, blinking back surprise and looking around to find that no one was dancing anymore, the music was gone, and the lights were on. They turned to see the DJ had stopped intentionally, letting the lights fade on slowly so that the crowd wouldn’t be blinded.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” The DJ called over the systems speakers. “Everybody having a good time?” The room lit up with a roar of agreement. “We’ll get back to the music in just a sec, but _first_ our awesome Principal Iverson wants to get all the contestants for the contest up on stage for judging!”

“Iverson is here?” Pidge asked, her whole body going rigid and her eyes filling with panic.

“Yeah,” Lance responded, trying not to sound as crestfallen as he felt.

“No, no, he can’t see me like this!” Pidge turned her back to the stage, her arms moving to wrap around herself. “He’ll know it’s me!”

“Okay,” Lance was quick to undo the buttons of his blazer and pull it off himself. “Don’t worry, Pidge. We’ll get out of here.”

He wrapped the article of clothing around her shoulders, covering her up and making sure not much was visible before placing a hand on her waist and edging her away from the dance floor.

There wasn’t time to worry about what had _almost_ happened. As much as it was on his mind, Lance’s first concern and top priority was to get Pidge out of here so Iverson wouldn’t see her. That had to happen before anything else could take precedent in his mind, and that meant running out of the gym in the freezing cold February air and heading back for their dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, another massive thank you to Hail. I'm so tired I couldn't bring myself to edit this.


	16. Comatose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a short chapter!

It had been a few days since the dance. A few days, and absolutely no mentions of what had almost happened.

Lance could still remember the feeling of her breath against his lips, the brush of her nose against his, or the tight grip she had on his hair when her fingers threaded through it. The simple physical reminders made him shiver and blush, and for a while he was fine just knowing that it almost happened.

Only for a while.

A couple of days in, Lance began questioning everything about the moment. Her mental stability, and how she had already been upset by Keith’s sudden appearance and outburst. How what she wanted from him she was only seeking for gratification at the moment, not for the actual act of it, and with him of all people.

She had been emotionally compromised, and now he kicked himself for even wanting to take advantage of her in a situation like that. That wasn’t fair to her, or even to him.

They still knew how this was going to end.

Even so, that didn’t stop Lance’s eyes from lingering on her form longer than it needed to. It didn’t stop him from watching her sit at her desk quietly, working on whatever it was she was working on. Be it her homework or trying to get more out of the Garrison’s systems, it kept her occupied long enough for him to lay on his bed or sit at his desk and just stare.

The ache to know what her lips felt like against his was growing, but he knew better. While Hunk had meant nothing but good intent, he should have never listened to him. He should have kept to himself, because now it left a bigger problem that he didn’t know how to solve.

Did Pidge know about his feelings for her?

He wasn’t even sure. She didn’t let on to it if she did.

It was Wednesday. It was too cold for March, and yet it was cold enough to snow. Lance’s bed felt like heaven, and he groaned in dismay at the alarm that sounded only two inches from his head. He tossed his hand to the side, blindly turning it off before looking up at the speckled ceiling above him.

He heard the rustle of blankets from below him. A small groan, a possible whimper.

His heart rate picked up exponentially.

Lance sat up slowly, feeling his tired muscles argue with him, his bones popping.  His bed was so warm and comfortable, calling out to him to lay back down and sleep a few more hours, but he knew he had to get up, do his usual morning facial routine, and go get breakfast before the rush came in.

It took a few moments, but he managed to wiggle out of his blankets and down the ladder, shuffling to keep warm. He stopped short though when he saw Pidge curled up under her blankets, a pained look on her face.

“Pidge…?” He spoke softly in the chance she was still asleep, but brassy eyes opened to look up at him. “Are you okay?”

“… I-I have cramps.” She mumbled, her face flushed red, but it didn’t look like embarrassment. She actually looked sick.

“Oh…” He uttered, feeling embarrassed. He turned away, heading to his desk to get the small bottle of pills his mother had given him. “I’ve got some pain meds. Want some?”

“Yes please…” She whimpered, slowly sitting up onto her elbows. Lance came back to hand her one, noticing how cold and clammy her hand was from just the simple touch before heading to the bathroom to get her a glass of water. When he came back, she was sitting back against her headboard, head tilted back and her face contorted in pain.

“Do they really get that bad?” He asked her, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

“This is the worst they’ve ever been…” Lance could see her eyes redden, the clear signs of tears threatening to fall.

“Maybe you should go to the nurse.”

“I can’t, Lance.” She mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. “I can’t risk anyone knowing I’m a girl.”

“I know, but…”

“No buts…” She took the cup of water from him before swallowing the pill, sighing at the sensation of the cool water. “I’m not going. I’ve got too much to do before Spring break…”

“… Is that because Keith yelled at you?” He asked, but regretted it the moment her eyes narrowed in on him.

“That’s none of your business.”

The hostility in her voice was very similar to when they had first met. He remembered how she used to talk to him when she was hiding her identity from him, and when she would snap at him when he would pry too much. That really hadn’t ever stopped him, but after coming as far as they had and making so much progress, it was like a slap to the face. It was like she was putting distance between them again, forcing him away, and he hated that. They’d gotten so close, but after the dance, that space felt infinitely bigger.

“… S-Sorry…” Lance’s head ducked slightly, looking away to avoid the piercing gaze directed at him. He hated it when she was mad, and when Pidge was mad, it was like she had the intent to kill. It was scary.

The brunette didn’t say anything. She simply kicked her blanket away and stood, one arm clutching at her right side while she walked into the bathroom, the door shutting with a heavy click.

* * *

“He’s mad at me…”

Hunk paused mid bite, looking up at his best friend who was practically pouting in dismay.

“Who…?”

“Pidge,” He replied mournfully.

“Why is he mad at you?” Hunk asked, setting his spork down to give his full attention to his friend.

“I don’t know.” Lance’s shoulder shrugged.

“But… I saw you guys dancing.” Hunk reminisced. “You looked like you were about to kiss.”

“… I think we were, but we had to leave.” Lance explained, leaning his head down on his hand. He didn’t have an appetite to eat anything today.

“What was that anyway?” Hunk questioned. “Why did you two suddenly leave? Pidge looked like he’d seen a ghost.”

“It’s… Hard to explain.” Lance muttered. “I think that would be better coming from him, but… Yeah.”

“Yeah…” Hunk repeated. “So… Is he mad that you tried to kiss him?”

“I’m honestly not so sure.” The brunet muttered. “He’s been very… Distant lately.”

“Have you tried talking to him? Hunk questioned.

“This morning, yeah.”

“What happened?”

“He… Got even madder at me.” Lance poked his straw around in his cup, sighing.

“So there’s some form of miscommunication going on here,” Hunk declared, sitting up a little. “You two need to sit down and talk about this. The whole thing from start to end.”

“I think I will, but… I’m going to give him some time to cool down.” Lance slowly nodded his head in agreement to his own words. “Talking right now while he’s mad seems to only make things worse.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” Hunk agreed, moving to continue eating his breakfast. “Is that why he’s not here today?”

“No, he’s actually not feeling so well today.” Lance explained.

“Does he have a cold or something?”

“Uhm… Probably.” Lance definitely had no way of explaining random bursts of cramps every month without giving it away.

“He gets sick a lot. He must have a weak immune system.” Hunk wondered aloud before eating the last remainder of eggs on his plate.

“Uhm… Probably.”

What else was Lance supposed to say to that?

* * *

Despite how much pain Pidge had been in this morning, and the fact that she hadn’t had breakfast, Lance was mildly surprised to see her in first period. He was even more surprised to see her in gym class.

He could see it in the way she stood there holding her stomach. Even though she had gotten changed in the bathroom stalls, she wasn’t avoiding her gaze from the multiple men walking around shirtless, or even pants-less. Sometimes both. She always did, but she looked to be so lost in thought that she didn’t seem to care what she saw.

She was standing in line like everybody else, but even from where he stood, Lance could tell she wasn’t paying attention at all. What’s worse, however, was that whatever cramps she was having didn’t seem to be going away. She looked pale compared to this morning when she was in bed, and sure, it was cold in the gym, but she just seemed to not feel a thing besides the pain.

When their gym teacher announced a mile run, she looked visibly horrified.

Lance ran well. He wouldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t good at it, because he was. He could finish the mile run in about seven minute’s time, but he kept it slow, especially when he’d pass Pidge.

She was barely running, staggering and gasping for breath. He knew Pidge wasn’t the most athletic person, but she wasn’t usually like this. She looked like she was struggling just to breathe let alone run.  

By the third lap, Lance slowed down beside her, gently grabbing at her arm to stop her. She didn’t even hesitate to halt in place.

“Pidge, are you okay?” He asked her.

“No,” She panted, bending over her knees. Lance put his hands on her waist when she staggered, holding her up.

“What’s wrong?”

“S-Somethings wrong,” She made a pained sound while her hand grabbed for his, her fingernails digging into his skin. “I-I don’t know what it is, but it’s not cramps.”

“Okay,” Lance didn’t mind the pain at all. He figured what he was feeling wasn’t nearly as bad as her, especially when he saw tears roll down her cheeks. “Pidge, we have to go to the nurse. If you’re in this much pain, you need to see him.”

“O-Okay,” She whimpered in defeat, trying to straighten up, but only falling against his chest, her fingers yanking hard at his sweat-damp gym shirt. “Okay…”

“What’s going on over here?” The gym coach came up to them in a slow sprint, looking like he wasn’t having any of their laziness.

“Sir, Pidge is in pain.” Lance explained, hanging onto her back. “He’s needs to get to the nurse’s office.”

“It’s probably just a stitch. He can run it off.” The man told them, ignoring the obvious signs of her pain.

“But sir,” Lance argued, feeling her weight double. He looked down just to see her eyes roll back and slip shut, her legs giving out under her. Had it not been for his quick reflexes, she would have hit the ground hard, but he caught her quickly, slowly lowering her to the ground. “Pidge!”

The coach quickly bent down beside her as Lance hovered over her, shaking her shoulders. He pressed two fingers into her neck, feeling for her pulse. The sight of it had Lance pause in his actions, eerily silent.

“I’ll call an ambulance,” He said after a few tense moments.

Lance felt like he had something to say or ask, maybe even do, but he couldn’t do anything. All the questions and concerns sat on the tip of his tongue as he looked down at her, pressing his hand against her head and feeling heat emanating from her body.

She was burning up with a horrible fever.

* * *

There was a crowd around the ambulance as Pidge was put onto the stretcher. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when the students who had heard the sirens and seen the vehicle pull up that they came to find out what was going on, but Lance didn’t appreciate it. He hated that they were gathering around to find out what had happened to her.

She was loaded on carefully, at this point barely conscious, her head lolling from side to side from the rocking motion as they got her into the ambulance. Lance followed close behind, but just before he could hop in behind her, one of the paramedics stopped him with his hand against his chest.

“I’m sorry, son, but you can’t come in here. You’ll have to follow us.”

“What…?” Lance gaped at him in horror as he shut one of the doors. “No, no! I have to go with you!”

“Lance…!” The brunet didn’t really register someone calling to him. He only noticed it when someone grabbed his arm and pulled, forcing him away from the ambulance. The other door shut, cutting him off from his view of Pidge. “Lance!”

Another hard yank on his arm. This time he looked back, seeing Hunk standing behind him, holding his arm in a tight grip. There was no point in fighting against him. Hunk may have been big, but he was stronger than anyone at the school. If he needed to, he’d put Lance in a headlock to keep him from running away.

“Lance, what’s going on?” Hunk asked him. “What happened?”

“I-It’s Pidge…” Lance ran his free hand through his hair, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in an exasperated gasp.

“Pidge? What happened to him?”

“I-I don’t know! He was saying he had cramps this morning, but earlier in gym he said it was something else, and then he passed out-!” Lance stopped his explanation when the sirens went off again, the ambulance slowly pulling from the parking lot. Students started filling away at the prompts of their teachers, but Lance couldn’t hear them. He couldn’t care about anything other than the thought that Pidge was alone in that ambulance, lord knows what happening to her. “No, wait!”

Lance tried bolting from Hunk’s side, but the bigger teen stopped him, wrapping his arms around him and holding him against his chest.

“Lance, just wait and calm down!” The teen struggled against his body, trying to break his arms free while kicking his legs out in front of him.

“I-I can’t! I have to go with her!” Hunk’s grip faltered for a millisecond before tightening again, looking at the side of his best friend’s face. “She can’t be alone! I have to be there for her!”

Hunk let go of him, but only so he could twist him around and look him in the face. Lance was too frazzled to even look at him, trying to turn back around so he could watch the ambulance disappear down the street. He was flushed and scared, shifting uncomfortably and waiting for Hunk to let him go. He didn’t.

“… Alright,” He said despite what he’d heard, his head slowly nodding. “Alright, we’ll go. We’ll take a bus and go to the hospital, but you have to breathe for me, Lance. Nothing good will happen when you’re like this.”

Hunk was always so clear headed in horrible situations. Lance didn’t know how he did it, but he admired him greatly for it. If it weren’t for him, Lance probably would have chased down the ambulance, which, now that he thought of it, would have been a horrible idea.

He still wiggled for freedom, but he took a few deep breaths in, held them, and then let them out slowly. He closed his eyes to focus despite his fear, and after a few quiet seconds, Hunk patted his shoulder gently. When he looked, he saw the teen offering up a sympathetic smile, hoping it’d be something worth perking up his spirits until they got to the hospital.

“Alright. Let’s go make sure our friend is okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now I'm off for a few weeks, because I have to finish my Matt cosplay for Zenkaikon next week, and then Zenkaikon next week where my friend and I are performing and running a panel...  
> So see you guys in two weeks! :'D  
> *Runs away*


	17. Is she...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! :D Yes I'm uploading on a Friday, but that's okay. I'm too tired to care right now, and con depression suuuuuuucks. I don't wanna do anything~~~~! But upload this. :3  
> -Misty  
> P.S. Warning. Swearing happens in this chapter. Not a lot, but... Ya know. Forewarn.

Lance had managed to calm down on the bus ride to the hospital despite the fact it took forty five minutes to get there, but the moment they got there, he was as frantic as he had been at the school. The two of them were quick to run to the front desk, spooking the woman behind the counter as Lance toppled over the side, knocking over the sign in sheet and a cup of pens.

“I-Is Pidge Gunderson here?” He asked, his tone just as frantic as he was. Hunk set a hand down on his shoulder, tugging him back slightly before the woman did something like call the cops on him.

“I’m sorry?” She questioned, reaching for the file folders off to the side. Lance grunted, his nose scrunching in annoyance.

“Katie Holt! She was brought in by an ambulance! Is she here?” He clarified, figuring she wouldn’t recognize her nickname. He was completely unfazed by Hunk standing behind him, even with the reminder of his hand on his shoulder.

“Oh yes,” The woman looked through the folders before pulling one out with her name on it. Her _real_ name, and not Pidge Gunderson. Hunk stared at it, still completely at a loss of what this situation actually was. “She’s in surgery right now.”

“What?” Lance gasped, his nails biting into the skin of his palms. “Why? What happened?”

“Her appendix ruptured.” The woman explained. “The doctor explained that usually they wait for the fever to drop, but because it ruptured, she needs to have it drained and removed now.”

“Will Pidge be alright?” Hunk asked with a frown.

“I can’t personally say. It’s not a long procedure though. She’ll be done soon.”

“C-Can we see her when she’s done?” Lance asked, his voice trembling.

“Are you her family?”

“No, we’re just from Pidge’s school. We’re… Pidge’s friends.” Hunk said for him. Lance was starting to shake. He wasn’t sure what to call her yet.

“I’m sorry. Unless you’re family, you can’t go in. You’ll have to wait until her family arrives.”

“Her family lives eight hours away!” Lance barked, but Hunk yanked him back before he could do anything stupid.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. Thank you for helping us.” He told the receptionist before tugging his friend away. “Lance,” He forced the teen into a waiting chair not far away, making sure they were far enough from other people that he could have a semi-private conversation with him.

“Crap, crap,” Lance hissed under his breath, frantically looking around the room, as if her doctor, whoever they were, would appear and tell them that everything would be okay.

“Lance,” Hunk said his name again, squeezing at his shoulders to force his attention on him. “You need to calm down. You’re losing it right now.”

“How am I supposed to calm down?” Lance asked, tossing his arms at his sides.

“You just have to.” Hunk asserted, squeezing hard at his shoulders. “Pidge is in surgery, so there’s nothing we can do until it’s over.”

Lance looked up at the bigger teen, his blue eyes wide and pleading. Hunk hated that look, but there really was nothing they could do at this point. All they could do was wait.

“This sucks…” Lance uttered, leaning back in his chair.

“I know it does.” Hunk agreed, sitting down beside him. “She said it wouldn’t be long though. They probably do hundreds of these a day.”

“And we’re just supposed to wait,” Lance rested his head in his hand, leaning against the arm of the chair. Hunk gave his knee and affectionate pat, offering up a sympathetic smile.

“I’m sure they’ll let us know if anything goes wrong…” It was supposed to be reassurance, but it didn’t feel like it. It felt like an excuse someone gave when they knew they had been caught.

“Right…” Lance mumbled, taking in a deep breath and letting out a heavy sigh. He sat up slightly, reaching into his pocket and fishing out his phone. “I should let Matt know…”

“Matt?”

“His brother…”

And just like that, they were back to the masculine pronouns again. Hunk didn’t understand, but this wasn’t the place to ask about it. Not like he could.

Lance stood up and wandered down a slightly empty hall, leaving him alone to wait while Lance looked for his number.

He’d saved it in case of emergencies, or if Pidge’s phone ever died, but he never thought he’d need it for this.

He hit call and waited, listening to the ringing of the other line like it was a taunt.

He hated this. He absolutely hated it.

 _“… Hello?”_ After a few rings, her brother picked up, sounding groggy and tired. He’d probably been sleeping before another shift.

“Uh, Matt?” Lance asked. Maybe it was the situation that made him think that someone else besides Matt would answer his own phone, but he asked anyway.

 _“Yeah. Who is this?”_ Lance could practically hear him roll over and rub at his face.

“It’s Lance. Pidge’s roommate.” He didn’t know why he explained that. Matt knew who was living with his sister, and he didn’t like him. He didn’t need the explanation.

 _“I know who you are…”_ A groan followed shortly after. _“Why are you calling me? I have work in a few hours.”_

“Because…” Lance paused, choking back on the words. “P-Pidge is in the hospital.”

 _“What?”_ If he wasn’t awake before, he was now. _“Why? What happened?”_

“The doctors said it was appendicitis. She’s in surgery now.” Lance explained. He heard a small shuffle from across the line, as if Matt was quickly getting out of bed.

_“Oh shit. Is it serious?”_

“I-I dunno. They said she had a fever, and that they usually wait until it goes down, but they had to operate right away, because her appendix ruptured. They didn’t tell us much.” Lance explained.

A few more curse words escaped Matt, some more frantic shuffling following as if he were pacing around in his room.

_“Damn it. Even if I get out of work, I won’t be there for hours. You’ll let me know when she’s out, right?”_

“Of course I will, but they won’t let me see her after.”

By this point, Lance had wandered far down the empty hall. He wasn’t even sure where he was at this point, but he knew how to get back if need be.

 _“Why won’t they let you see her?”_ Matt asked, annoyance and a bit of anger evident in his tone.

“Because we aren’t her family. One of you guys has to be here so we can go in.”

 _“We live a day away!”_ Matt barked. _“Put me on the phone with one of them.”_

“I-I don’t think-”

 _“Put me on the phone with them, Lance.”_ It wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order, and Lance was too afraid to disobey him.

“Okay…”

He turned around and went back down the halls, wandering back into the main corridor where Hunk was still sitting and tapping on his knees to a beat in his head. Lance went to the front desk to the receptionist who hadn’t left her desk, typing away on her computer.

“Uhm, excuse me?” He uttered cautiously. He wasn’t sure what Matt had in mind.

“Yes?” The woman looked away from the screen and to him.

“Katie’s brother wants to speak with you.” He held out his phone for her, watching the look of confusion that took over her expression. He felt just about the same, but she took it nonetheless.

“Hello…?” She greeted questionably. Lance didn’t hear Matt from where he stood, but he could tell whatever he was saying wasn’t good by the way she paled. “Uhm, it’s our policy-”

Whatever was said next was only slightly louder than before, though he still didn’t catch it. He only watched, shifting awkwardly in his place as a conversation was held. Or rather, a one-way conversation, because Matt was talking, and she was listening and nodding her head to someone who couldn’t see her.

“Yes sir…” She mumbled before handing him the phone back. Lance looked to see that he hadn’t hung up before wandering off again.

“Uh, what was that?” He asked when he was alone.

 _“Apparently the receptionist doesn’t know I don’t work for the government anymore.”_ Was Matt’s tired response. _“You’re good to go. Call me immediately if something happens, or when she’s out of her surgery.”_

“I will do. Uhm… Thanks, Matt.” The brunet wasn’t really sure what else to say besides a thank you. He really was grateful, but he wasn’t on the best of terms with Matt still. Partly because he lived with his little sister, and partly because of Lance’s character.

If only he knew.

There was a quiet hum of a response before he hung up, and Lance once again found himself alone in an empty hall. He sighed and leaned against the wall, his head dropping back against it so he could close his eyes and focus on the situation.

Well, there wasn’t much of one now. Pidge was in the middle of a surgery and there was nothing he could do but sit here impatiently and twiddle his thumbs until it was over.

This was going to be a long wait.

* * *

Two hours.

It took two hours before they heard anything. At this point, even Hunk was out of his chair and pacing, and once he even went over to the front desk to ask if they knew anything.

Anything about _their friend._

Lance knew he’d screwed up big time. That was his fault, and there needed to be an explanation about it, but not now. Not here with other people waiting, and not until they heard about Pidge.

It was just after Hunk’s twenty seventh (or twenty eight. He’d lost count) time around the entire room before a doctor came out. Lance’s eyes were on him as he went to the front desk, having a brief conversation with the receptionist before she pointed over towards them.

Lance shared a quick glance with Hunk, a silent understanding before the bigger teen rushed over to Lance in his chair while the doctor made his way to them both.

“Are you here to see Katie Holt?” He asked them both.

“Yeah, she’s our friend.” Lance replied. “How is she? Is she okay?”

The doctor held up a hand towards them.

“She’s fine. The surgery went by without any problems.”

To hear such a thing after hours of not knowing anything was the best news they could get. Lance sunk in his seat, letting out a heavy sigh while Hunk let out a relieved laugh.

“Thank god,” Hunk breathed, the fear he’d had stored in his chest dissipating. Lance ran his fingers through his hair, giving it a light tug just to be sure this wasn’t some crazy dream before sitting up.

“W-What happened?” Lance asked the doctor.

“Her appendix ruptured, so it had to be drained first before we could remove it. Her fever has gone down though, and she should make a full recovery.” The man explained.

“How long will that take?” Hunk couldn’t help but ask.

“In most cases like hers, she’ll be out of commission for the next six to eight weeks.

“Six to eight weeks?” The bigger teen gaped at him.

“C-Can we see her?” Lance asked, slowly sitting from his chair. Yes, he had heard the horrific news, but he couldn’t be bothered with that. He just wanted to see her.

“Yes, you can.” The man said to them, offering up a small smile. “Follow me.”

The two of them did without hesitation, following the man past the double doors and into the halls of the hospital where other patients were. Some in wheel chairs. Some standing, and even some in their rooms. Lance saw a few people visiting down the way.

The doctor took the two of them down two long corridors and past double doors that needed his badge to let him in. This was where the hospital was the quietest, people recovering and sleeping after surgeries.

“Just so you know, she’s still coming out of the anesthesia, so she’s not completely coherent. It’ll be a few hours before she’s actually awake.”

“That’s okay,” Hunk mumbled, but he wasn’t really paying attention.

The doctor brought them to a closed off room that he opened, holding out his arm for the two of them to go in.

Pidge was lying in a hospital bed to the side of the room, hooked up to a bunch of machines neither one of them could name. She was completely unconscious, unaware of the people entering her room or the whole world moving around her.

She looked so _feeble._ So broken and tired. It was hard to imagine let alone see, and that made it even harder to stomach.

Lance darted away from the door and to her bedside, pressing a hand gently into her forehead. Hunk entered a bit slower, taking his time to come and let himself take in the situation fully. He wasn’t good with stuff like this, and to know it was a friend of his made it even harder.

Somewhere in the back of their minds, they knew the doctor left the room and shut the door, but that wasn’t at all a thought. It was one less worry, simply leaving them alone in the quiet room where Pidge slept without worries or concerns.

When he was ready, Hunk joined them at their bedside, looking down over her small form and taking in the details of her pale face. Of her long lashes and brown hair.

The fact that she was a girl.

Somehow he wasn’t that worried about that. He just wanted to know she was okay, and she was. Or rather, she would be. For now, she just needed to rest and heal.

So that meant waiting until she woke up. It wasn’t like they had anything better to do, though it seemed that Lance was pretty preoccupied pulling up a chair and sitting beside her bed, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear and gently caress her cheek.

Hunk wasn’t nearly a good enough friend of Pidge’s to do that kind of thing, but he didn’t mind having a seat on the other side of her bed, resting his elbows beside her legs and watching the rise and fall of her chest. The steady beat of her heart monitored by the screen above her bed.

He had so many questions in his head right now. Most of them pertaining to Pidge, but he wasn’t even sure where to start. Where did one start asking questions in a situation like this? He wasn’t even sure. Was it even polite to ask questions when someone was in a drug induced sleep?

It didn’t seem like it, but he needed to be up to speed with things and know what the heck was going on.

“Hey Lance…?” Hunk uttered, breaking the dense silence. The brunet looked up at him, barely able to tear his eyes away from her. His hands didn’t move from her body for a second.

“Yeah…?”

It took a moment to pick the first question.

“Who’s Katie Holt?”

Hunk knew his best friend well. He knew the signs of the teen when he knew he’d been caught. Like a child who had done something they knew they shouldn’t have, Lance looked to the side, eyes adverting like something else caught his attention, but Hunk could see the strike of fear go through those blue irises. He’d been caught red handed.

He saw his fingers tighten around Pidge’s limp hand, his back straight, and his breathing strain. He wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding his reaction, but that was to Hunk. Maybe to anyone else it wouldn’t have been obvious, but he knew Lance all too well.

“… I dunno.” He mumbled, his eyes shifting to look at the floor.

“You called him Katie Holt. You called him _her,”_ Hunk asserted, but he couldn’t bring himself to sound half as confused as he did. It was a somber feeling instead.

“I-I was freaked out. I would have said cats and dogs were raining from the sky if I thought of it.”

He was back tracking. Even Lance could tell he wasn’t doing a very good job of excusing himself from what he’d said earlier, but he was frozen. He was thinking too hard for an excuse while also thinking about Pidge. He couldn’t think of something better, but that was because there wasn’t anything better. He was fighting a losing war here.

“The doctor called him Katie too,” Hunk recalled, leaning forward in his chair. “Lance, what is going on?”

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t keep lying to his best friend. Even if it meant keeping Pidge’s secret safe (not like it hadn’t been his fault), he couldn’t keep this horrible charade going any longer.

“… It’s really hard to explain, Hunk.” Lance gave in, leaning back slightly, but not so far that he would lose his grip around her small hand.

“Is Pidge transitioning or something?” Hunk asked, his hand pushing into his chest. “Because you know I’m completely okay with it. That’s his life, or… _Her_ life.”

“No, that’s not it.” Lance laughed almost bitterly, his head shaking. “But I’m glad to know where you stand on that subject.”

“So… What’s going on?” Hunk’s shoulders dropped, the confusion very obvious now. He couldn’t put the pieces together.

“It’s… Look, this is something that really should come from Pidge. I promised her I would keep it a secret, and I already screwed that up.” He explained, finally meeting the bigger teen’s eyes. “It’s just… Something she is personally dealing with.”

“But she _is_ a girl.” Hunk muttered.

“Yeah,” Lance sighed. “She’s definitely a girl…”

“Ah…” It was a sound mixed with bemusement and sadness. Lance knew why, and it pained him to know he was the reason Hunk was feeling that way.

“Look, Hunk…” He began when he saw the look of hurt settle in his eyes. “I wanted to tell you so badly. It killed me not getting to talk to you about this, but… If you figured out and something went wrong, you could have been in serious trouble. I couldn’t risk you getting into this kind of trouble with us…”

More confused looks, but Lance figured as much. So long as Hunk understood that he never wanted to hurt him, then that was all that mattered to him.

“It’s bad enough I found out, but I didn’t want to risk you knowing. I just… Wasn’t thinking earlier.”

“Is this whole thing that bad?” Hunk asked him.

“Yeah,” He answered. “That’s why I didn’t want you involved. The less people that knew the better.”

“Oh…” Hunk looked down as Pidge took in a deep breath in her sleep.

“I’m sorry, Hunk. I really am.” Lance apologized, his lips pulled tight in a frown. “I really wanted to tell you, but…”

“No, Lance. It’s okay.” Hunk held up his hand in a silent assurance. “You had your reasons… I’ll probably find out eventually.”

“I’m sure once Pidge knows you know, she’ll talk to you.” Lance assured, rubbing gently at the back of her hand. “She should trust you pretty well. I nearly told the principal had she not explained it all.”

“Well… I don’t know if I’d go that far until I heard the story.” Hunk laughed sheepishly at him, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“Your reaction is better than mine…” He mentioned, his eyes rolling.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence in the room. All they could hear was her heart monitor going off beside them, and chatter from people outside of her room.

Lance really thought Hunk would be madder at him for all of this, but he seemed surprisingly at ease. It was as if a question he had sitting in his head for a long time now had been answered, or maybe even that he suspected that Pidge wasn’t a guy.

It wasn’t like Pidge was the most convincing guy, but she’d done well enough to make sure no one but him had known, and now Hunk.

Had he really suspected it then?

“Hey Lance,” Hunk spoke softly so as not to disturb the girl sleeping in front of them. The teen looked up at him, prepared for the worst. He had more questions that needed answering, and that was fine. He’d try to answer all he could without telling him what Pidge would want to say, and hopefully that’d calm his confusion for the time being.

“Yeah…?”

“That girl you talked about…” He began, leaning forward in his seat a bit. “The one you said you liked back home. The girl you never bothered mentioning ever until just a few weeks ago. This random girl who came out of nowhere…” He motioned his head and his eyes down to Pidge. “It’s her, isn’t it?”

The question came as a surprise. Lance hadn’t been expecting that. He’d been expecting him to ask about what Pidge was doing in the school, or if Pidge was even a legal name.

How old was she? Where was she from? Was she related to Samuel and Colleen Holt? What was she even doing there?

He was expecting questions like that, not this, and yet it sort of made sense.

Didn’t it?

 Lance nodded his head slowly, silent as could be before Pidge breathed in deeply again, only this time, her eyes fluttered open half way. Lance didn’t notice until Hunk looked towards her, and only then did Lance jump from his seat to hover over her.

“Pidge…?”

She blinked slowly a few times, wincing at the light around her. Her breathing straining against the fresh stitches in her stomach. They could both see the distant look in her eyes; clearly the anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off yet, but she was waking up. That was already a good sign.

She made a small sound; a hum of a response mixed with pain. Lance frowned and ran his fingers through the hair on the top of her head, hoping that maybe it’d be soothing enough to calm her pain. It probably wouldn’t, but he could always try.

“Pidge…?” He spoke again, hopefully.

“Give him a minute, Lance. He’s still pretty drugged up.” Hunk began, but stopped short and flushed. “Or, er… _Her.”_

Lance laughed softly at his flushed face as Pidge hummed again, her head tilting in his direction. He looked down and smiled, his nails gently running across her scalp. She was probably too drugged to feel it, but that was okay. She could thank him for it later.

“… L-Lan…” She uttered, wincing in pain.

“Yeah Pidge…” His smile widened. The first thing she sought out for was him. “You’re okay…”

“I.. I’m so…” She tried speaking, her eyes having a hard time focusing on him. He could practically see the drug’s affects running through her eyes. “Sorry… Sor- _ry_ …”

“What…?” He questioned with a frown. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I…” He could see her eyes turning red and welling up with tears. “Yelled… I-I…”

“Shh, it’s okay.” He whispered, bending down to press his forehead into hers. “I’m not even upset…” She whimpered, her eyebrows furrowing in pain and nausea and a whole bunch of other things going on with her body. Most of it was even amplified with how dizzying the drugs were making her. “You should rest, okay? Get some sleep…”

Even if she wanted to argue, she couldn’t. She was too tired and drugged up to think otherwise, and within a few quiet minutes, with Lance running his fingers through her hair, his other hand rubbing her arm while Hunk was sitting quietly at her side, she was out cold.

Hunk and Lance didn’t have any plans for the rest of the day. School was a distant thought on both of their minds, their only concern being here for her until she was awake and able to talk to them with full, coherent sentences.

They were going to be here for a while.


	18. A Night to Ourselves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHOSE BACK FROM THE DEAD!!!!!!  
> THAT'S RIGHT. THIS BITCH!   
> No but seriously. Thank you guys for the incredible comments and support. You people are just the greatest. :) I'm sorry this took so long. I really lost track of time, and then I was like, "Oh, it's been a month and I left off with a bad cliff hanger."  
> ....  
> WELL LET'S LEAVE OFF WITH ANOTHER ONE!  
> -Misty  
> P.S. There is a spoiler to season 6 in this chapter, but it is probably so minuscule that you'll read over it and be like "Where's the spoiler?" I promise you it's not a plot developing spoiler, so you're safe. :)  
> P.S.S. Huge thanks for Hail for staying up until 2 IN THE MORNING to proof this. You're the best and I appreciate everything you do for me. :)

It was late, and Pidge was still asleep.

She’d woken up a few times, but still under the effects of the anesthesia. She had puked twice, and both times Hunk had to leave the room (he didn’t have a strong stomach), leaving Lance to take care of her, holding up a small basin for her when she needed it and wiping away the tears on her cheeks when it hurt her.

She was a mess, but Lance had been there for her for every moment of it, only leaving once to call Matt and let him know that the surgery went well without any problems, and that she was fine. Matt informed him that they’d try to get to the hospital as soon as possible, but he couldn’t get out of work that easily, and neither could their mom. Lance could understand, and he’d decided maybe it was best not to tell Pidge anything just yet, at least not until they got there.

Later into the evening, Hunk had wandered off to the cafeteria to get some food while Lance had stayed behind (Hunk expected nothing less of his best friend). He was watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, her eyelids twitching every now and again; he hoped she was having a good dream. She’d been sleeping a lot of the drugs off, but that was okay. So long as she wouldn’t wake up and puke again.

She looked small like this. Pidge was by no means a weak girl, but right now, she seemed so tiny and frail. Like one more thing added over her head could break her in an instant. The very thought had Lance frowning and swallowing back guilt.

He hated that there was nothing about this situation he could fix. He hated not being able to make her problems go away, and to add onto it, now she was lying in a hospital bed fresh out of surgery.

He hated it. He absolutely hated it.

He felt a small pull of her fingers within his hand. She was dreaming, and the gentle brush of her skin that was so warm and soft made him smile. He hoped with all of his might that she was happy in her dream, and wondered what it could be about.

Was she dreaming of a world without problems? Where the Garrison hadn’t ruined her family’s reputation, and she didn’t have to take on the burden of trying to solve their problems?

That would mean that she would have never met him.

Was she dreaming about him?

Lance looked to her thin lips, a little redder than normal, but she was very pale right now. He actually thought that she bore a resemblance to the princess from the old story books his mother read to his sister when they were kids.

_I wonder if I could be her prince…_

It was a silly thought. Lance knew it, and yet he was up out of his seat, slowly leaning over her. His hand brushed her bangs from her eyes, feeling the warm skin beneath as he drew close. His nose brushed into hers and the tube still taped to it, her breath fanning against his lips, but before he could press a kiss to her lips, she breathed in deeply.

Lance leaned back, watching her brown eyes appear from behind heavy eyelids, looking drained and exhausted despite all of the sleep. She hummed, her head turning into his hand and eyes blearily focusing in on him, taking in the sight of him mere inches from her face.

“… L-Lance…?” She whispered, blinking slowly.

“Hey Pidge…” Lance sighed, smiling in relief despite the disappointment he felt.  She breathed heavily again, looking away from him and around her at the room and the bed that she was in. The unfamiliar area and the IV in her arm, the tube in her nose, and the numb pain radiating from her stomach. “How are you feeling?” He asked her, running his fingers up her arm.

“… What happened?” She asked, looking up at him with a more coherent stare. The anesthesia was finally starting to wear off.

“Your appendix ruptured.” He explained, slowly moving to sit back down, but his hand didn’t leave her for a second.

“It did?” She questioned.

“Yeah. You were rushed to the hospital and into surgery, but the doctor said everything went fine,” Lance told her, giving her hand a light squeeze. “You’ll make a full recovery.”

Pidge still looked confused, taking a few deep, mind clearing breaths to take in the information that was being thrown at her.

“Oh…” She squeezed her fingers around his hand, only now realizing he had grabbed hers only a few short seconds ago. “What…?” She groaned a bit, as if trying to collect her thoughts.

“You okay?”

“I-I…” She shook her head gently. “Don’t remember much.”

“It’s alright. The doctor said that’s a lot of the anesthesia.” He explained. “I think it’ll be a bit longer before you’re back to your normal self, but this is already an improvement from earlier.”

“From earlier?” She asked, looking back at him.

“Yeah. You were puking and crying; it looked like you were in a lot of pain.” He said, shifting in his seat.

“… Oh yeah.” She mumbled. She vaguely remembered that.

“It’s alright, Pidge. Just take your time.” Lance assured her, giving her hand a gentle pat. “We aren’t in any rush. Hunk even went down to the cafeteria for some dinner-”

“Hunk is here?” She asked, trying to be as frantic and worried as she could with this new information, but her hands couldn’t move fast enough to pull her blankets up higher over her chest.

“Yeah, he is…” Lance looked down at the floor, his stomach dropping with guilt. “I’m sorry, Pidge, but I… I accidently told him.”

“You _accidently_ told him?” She gaped at him, looking more sick than angry or worried. “H-How?”

“I was freaking out when you passed out, and they wouldn’t let me in the ambulance with you. I was panicking, so… It just slipped in front of him…” He told her, looking up with what seemed like a pout.

“I can’t believe this…” Pidge uttered, covering her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Pidge. I… I was scared.” He stood from his seat, hovering over her bed and reaching for her hand.

“You were scared?” She asked him, seemingly dumbfounded.

“Of course I was, Pidge.” He berated. “I didn’t know what was wrong with you. I-I thought you were really sick or something. I didn’t know what had happened, and then they wouldn’t let me go with you. I…”

Lance’s shoulders slumped, taking a deep breath to compose himself. He tasted vile in the back of his throat, residual fear from what he’d felt earlier coming out in the form of anger. He was mad that she’d think so lowly of him, but exhaustion was weighing him down at this point. It’d been a long, stressful day, and he couldn’t seem to bring himself to argue with her anymore.

Arguing with Pidge was hard, he’d concluded. Especially when she was so full of pride, never wanting to ask or accept help from anyone. She was just that type of person, so it made matters like arguing with her very difficult, and truthfully, tiring.

“Just… Rest. Okay Pidge? We’ll talk about this in the morning when I get back.” He said, slowly sitting back in his chair. Pidge’s big eyes looked to him with trepidation.

“… Y-You aren’t staying?” She asked him. Lance’s lips parted to reply, but there was a knock on her hospital room door.

Hunk appeared a second later, carrying a tray with small plates of food and two water bottles on it. The frown he had instantly brightened though at the sight of her.

“Hey Pidge,” He greeted, shuttling the door behind himself. “You finally awake?”

Pidge watched him quietly as he came over to hand Lance his water. She looked like a deer in headlights, watching him cautiously, as if he were a predator about to pounce. Lance could understand why.

To be honest, Hunk was waiting for _her_. He was waiting for her to jump out and say it, but she wasn’t saying anything just yet. Maybe Lance hadn’t told her he knew yet? Then why did she look so freaked out?

“Uh,” He uttered, holding out his water bottle. “I didn’t know you were awake or I would have gotten you one too, but here. Take mine. I haven’t opened it yet.”

Pidge was reluctant, but took it regardless. The water was freezing cold in her hands and the condensation made it slippery, but she held tight, quietly opening it to take a sip.

“Thanks Hunk,” Lance muttered, looking down in his lap. Hunk looked between him and Pidge, and it was now that he felt the problematic tension in the air. The way they weren’t looking at one another and seemed to be uncomfortable just being around each other.

Not this again.

“Uhm, you guys okay?” He asked, setting the tray down on the table beside her bed.

“I know you know…” Pidge quickly mumbled, looking up at him timidly. “Lance said he told you.”

Hunk breathed in deeply and let out a sigh.

“Yeah,” He sighed, taking up the chair beside Lance. “He didn’t tell me why though. He said that was something only you should talk about, and only if you’re okay with it.”

He watched brassy eyes shift over to Lance, exchanging a look for just a moment before looking back at him.

“It’s a long story…” She mumbled. Hunk looked around the room for a quick second.

“It’s not like I’m going anywhere anytime soon.” He offered with a nervous laugh. Pidge couldn’t help but smile just a bit at his words.

So she told him.

She told him the whole story, starting from a year and a half ago when the Garrison labs fired her father, Matt and Shiro on false accusations and made up government conspiracies. She told him about her plans to get into the school as Pidge Gunderson, cutting off her hair, playing a _boy_ in an all-boys school, and the obstacles she had faced so far.

She talked about Lance’s involvement in the whole situation. She explained how he found out close to the beginning of the year, and how he nearly went to Iverson until she begged and pleaded for him not to.

A lightbulb in Hunk’s head seemed to go off when he heard this part. It was as if he was able to connect the dots and understand why the two of them went from vehemently hating each other to amicable terms, and now to this. It was because of this whole situation.

Certain moments were left out. Her getting drunk and admitting to being a girl (though no-one believed her anyway), seeing Keith, the _almost-kiss_ ; all of that was left on the back burner for another day. For now she just needed to know Hunk had what he needed to make a rational decision in all of this, and he did.

“Of course,” Came his response to the question: W _ould he keep it all a secret?_

Just as Lance had said, Hunk was trustworthy, and hearing the agreement was a relief all on its own. She couldn’t help but rest her hand over her chest and sigh, fresh tears springing to her eyes. Apparently the surgery had set off a whole bunch of emotions in her, because she couldn’t keep herself from crying or laughing, maybe even both. In the next five minutes she’d bark at the both of them, or just shut down altogether. It was hard to tell what she’d do next.

For now she could rest easy knowing her secret was still safe.

For now.

“Don’t cry, Pidge…” Hunk pleaded, the frown on his lips deep in guilt. “Please don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

“D-Don’t apologize,” She laughed and wiped at her eyes, “I-I’m just so happy…”

“I told you, you could trust him.” Lance said in a mocking tone, a smirk pulling on his thin lips and a perfect eyebrow lifting. Pidge nodded, a small giggle escaping her as she continued rubbing at her eyes. As always, Lance was there to rub away the tears dripping off of her chin, but he didn’t miss the way Hunk gave him an all-knowing look. A teasing, giddy look.

He knew too much now, and someone like him having that kind of power under his belt was far too dangerous.

“Just promise me something, Pidge.” Hunk said as he leaned back, looking at her. “No more secrets, okay?”

“None, I promise. That’s all of them.” She said, giggling as she gave him one last hug. It wasn’t much with her restricted movement, but Hunk compensated.

“Good,” He replied, chuckling as he leaned back in his chair. “So what happens now?”

“I still need to get what I came for from Iverson, but I don’t know how.” She said, leaning slowly back into her pillow.

“It’ll be harder to do while you’re bed ridden.” Lance told her. “The next six weeks will be rough.”

“Six weeks?” She gaped at him. “I-I can’t be in bed for six weeks! I’ll lose my mind!”

“Pidge, calm down.” Hunk told her, setting a hand on her arm. “If you get worked up, you’re going to make yourself sick.”

“B-But I…” She was already on the verge of crying again with this new information, breathing heavily enough to raise her heart rate on the monitor.

“Hey, let’s not think about that,” The bigger teen said. “Let’s think about something else. Let’s do something your get your mind off of it.”

“Like what?” Lance asked him. Hunk looked around the small room, his big brain quickly thinking of things they could possibly do to keep her preoccupied.

“I got it,” He said, standing up. “Movie time!”

Hunk was jittery as he went to the windows, shutting the curtains. He then turned the lights off in the room, letting everything plummet into darkness. The only light came from under the door to the bathroom, and from outside of her hospital room.

“I don’t know how good the TV is here, Hunk.” Lance proclaimed, but the bigger teen shrugged his shoulders as he played around with the controls on the TV mounted on the wall across the room.

“There’s gotta be something worth watching. Even cartoons would be great.”

“Cartoons are the best!” Lance said, slightly offended.

“Saturday cartoons are better,” Pidge mumbled, sniffling and rubbing under her eye. Lance flashed her a grin at the comment, glad to know she understood him.

* * *

It was far past visitor hours by the time they found themselves a channel with decent movies. Sometimes they chatted, and sometimes they booed at particular moments. Those were the times they laughed, and the times when Pidge begged them not to make her laugh. It still hurt, but she couldn’t help herself from snickering.

When it came time for them to leave, both Lance and Hunk could see the visible hurt in her eyes. The fear of being left alone. Her family still wasn’t here, and even then they probably wouldn’t have been allowed to see her by the time they did get here.

“Well,” Hunk sighed, clapping his hands together. He stood up from his chair, stretching backwards until his back audibly popped. “I think I’m going to take off.”

Just as predicted, Pidge was upset by that. The happiness she’d had earlier faded, her shoulders sluggishly slumping over and her eyes downcast, looking at her hand that was still hooked up to the IV.

Lance hated that look on her. That sad, defeated look. He wished there was something he could do for her. Something more, or at least anything that would make her feel more comfortable until they came back after school tomorrow, but he wasn’t sure what could possibly do that now.

“See ya guys later!” The bigger teen chirped with a wave of his hand, and before the others could ask what he meant by that, Hunk was already at the door.

“H-Hunk?” Lance asked him, slowly sitting up from the seat.

“Sorry, can’t hear you. The door is between us.” Hunk excused himself just before shutting the door, effectively closing him out of the room.

Lance looked back at the small brunette in the hospital bed, getting the same look from her that was most likely on his face before he walked outside. Hunk wasn’t far down the hall, which gave Lance the chance to catch up with him.

“Hunk!” He called out, setting a hand on his shoulder. “W-What was that about? What do you mean _see you guys later?”_

“I think I mean see you tomorrow?” Hunk offered, shrugging his shoulders.

“But I’m leaving too.” Lance protested, but Hunk put a hand over his mouth and shushed him.

“No you aren’t,” He spoke softly so the woman at the nurses’ station wouldn’t hear him. “You’re staying here.”

“What? But why?” Lance asked, his voice muffled behind the teen’s hand.

“You two are upset with each other again.” Hunk explained. “I could tell when I came back from the cafeteria. I don’t know what’s going on, but you two need to work it out.”

“Nothing is going on.” Lance assured him.

Hunk’s expression deadpanned, one thick eyebrow lifting as if to ask _‘Are you serious?’_

“Lance.”

“But nothing is!”

“Clearly something is, and right now is the perfect time to fix it. Stay with her tonight.”

“I can’t. I’ll be kicked out.” Lance reminded him.

“Don’t get caught then.” Hunk made it sound so easy. “Go on. Go back to her and kiss and make out- I mean make up.”

“Hunk-!” Lance flushed at his words, but before he could retaliate with something clever that just couldn’t come to mind, Hunk was gone, running down the hall and disappearing.

Lance stood idly, still a red mess at the prospect of even kissing her let alone making out with her, but also lost.

He was supposed to stay with her? Just like that? It wasn’t anything new to stay in the same room, or even sleep in the same bed at this point for them, but somehow this seemed more… Intimate.

The idea made his heart race as he turned and went back to her room. Pidge was still lying in bed, looking out the window until he came back in.

“What was that about?” She asked him, trying to sit up, but failing. All she ended up doing was hissing in pain and laying back into her pillow.

“I think… I just got left behind.” Lance muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I guess that means I’m here with you tonight.”

“Isn’t that not allowed?”

“No, but when have we ever really followed the rules?”

Pidge didn’t do a very good job of keeping the happiness from her expression. She was sporting a pretty smile, her eyes shining with mirth, and Lance could just see the relief in shoulders. The solace in knowing she wasn’t going to be alone tonight.

“I’m glad…” She said as he came to her bedside again. “I… I wasn’t very keen on being alone here…”

“It just doesn’t have the flair our room does.” Lance said, shrugging his shoulders. “Do you think you can scoot over?”

“I can manage.” She assured him before pushing herself over a few inches. It took her a moment to do so, and with some pain filled expressions. At one point Lance had to help her along before there was enough room for him on the bed.

“If anyone asks, I’m a silent assassin come to kill you and got tired.” Lance said as he slowly settled beside her.

“Deal,” She agreed, leaning into his side. Lance chuckled as he threw his arm around her shoulders, letting her rest fully into his side. At one point Pidge grabbed his hand hanging from her shoulder and held onto it. Her small hand had very little strength in it, but she held on as much as she could, and Lance did the rest of the work.

“Hey Pidge…” He breathed, turning his head to her, only for her hair to tickle his nose.

“Mhm…?” She hummed, clearly content.

“I’m sorry about earlier…” He apologized. The smaller brunette stiffened beside him.

“… It’s alright.” She mumbled. “I overreacted.”

“You had a right to.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t taking how you felt into consideration.” She told him. “I can’t imagine how you felt.”

“It sucked.” Pidge barely suppressed a laugh. “Today has just been overall insane, and I was worried already, what with you and Keith, and then you were-”

“Keith…?” She questioned, looking up at him. It only took her a moment to realize what he meant by that. “Oh… I completely forgot about that.”

“Yeah,” Lance sighed.

“… Sorry about yelling.” She apologized after a quiet moment between them. “I was out of line.”

“It’s alright.” He said. “I just… Wasn’t sure after that what was going on. Like how you felt or with Keith yelling. I was worried he was putting extra stress on your head.”

Pidge snorted.

“Nothing he hasn’t done before. Keith can be a bit of a hot head, but he doesn’t mean it.”

“Oh,” Lance said. “S-So that’s normal for you two?”

“Usually, yeah. I get out of line, he puts me back, yelling happens. It’s a pattern between us really.”

Lance swallowed, feeling something restless settle in the pit of his stomach.

“S-So you two… You’ve been around each other for a while then?” He asked, trying to ignore the now awkward atmosphere between them. Pidge looked up at him with a frown, more confused than upset.

“Yeah…? Why do you say it like that?”

“I-It’s just that I wasn’t sure if you’d been together long or if that was a new thing, or-”

“Wait.” Pidge stopped him with a pointed glance. “Are you… Saying that Keith and I are _dating?”_

“No, no, I was just- Are you?” Lance asked, more afraid of the answer than he should have been.

“No!” Pidge exclaimed, breaking out into laughter. Lance wasn’t sure what was so funny about the situation, but he was glad to see her laugh nonetheless. At least until she started grimacing. “Ouch, ouch, Lance! Don’t make me laugh! It hurts!”

“Uh… Okay?” He leaned back hard into the bed, frowning, _pouting_ a little bit. He didn’t see what was so funny about this.

“S-Sorry, sorry,” She apologized, holding a hand over her fresh stitches and taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing.” Yeah, he was definitely pouting.

“Cause it’s funny,” She chirped. “I love Keith, but not like that. He’s like that annoying older brother type of guy.”

“Oh,” Somehow her words were relieving to hear, and yet he still didn’t get it. “So you guy know each other… How?”

“Shiro took him in,” She explained, cuddling into his side and tucking her head under his chin. “I’ve known Keith since we were kids. He and Matt were really the only people I ever talked to.”

“Oh,” Lance breathed. “So you two aren’t together?”

“Heck no,” She assured. “I adore Keith, and he adores me, but we’re just friends.”

“So then why was he yelling at you?” Lance asked her, slightly sitting up from under her. “What friend just bites your head off for something like that?”

“Because he’s scared.” She said simply. “He’s just as terrified about all of this as I am. Keith’s problem though is that when he is scared, it usually comes out as anger. He’s the reason we have that saying _anger is just fear on its way out.”_

Lance slowly took her words in, watching as she took a deep breath. At least as deep of a breath as she could without hurting herself.

“That’s why I’m not mad at him. I know he didn’t mean it, and he texted me a few hours later apologizing. He’s just afraid of what’s going to happen to our families, and what’s going to happen to _Shiro_ if all of this doesn’t get fixed soon.”

“So he was just afraid.” Lance confirmed.

“And I’m sure he was a bit upset with me. This is taking… A lot longer than it needs to, to get everything right. I know he’s not that happy with me, but I’m not either.”

“That’s not your fault, Pidge.” Lance assured, wrapping an arm around her waist, but carefully avoiding the new stitches in her side. “You’re doing the best you can.”

“I know…” She swallowed a painful lump in her throat, and Lance could see her eyes growing red with tears she refused to shed.

“Seriously Pidge,” Lance rested his head on top of hers. “I’ve never met a girl I thought was more capable of doing something like this than you are. I _know_ you can do this, but you’re letting this fear of not being able to get to you.”

“B-But…” Pidge took in a deep, shaky breath. “How am I supposed to do it now when I’m like this?”

“We’ll figure out a way.” The older teen assured her, squeezing her lightly for comfort. “It’s just gonna be another challenge.”

Pidge nodded slowly, understanding what he meant, but right now it didn’t seem possible. Right now it seemed so far from possible that she couldn’t think of any other outcome than failing her family and Shiro.

The idea alone was enough to finally let her tears escape her, but thankfully Lance was there to wipe them away. She wasn’t alone in this.

* * *

The problem with hospital rooms, they’d both come to find, was that they were too brightly lit. It felt too early for the lights to be on, or for the sun to be shining in through the cracked curtains, and for the hustle and bustle of the hospital to bring them both slowly from their sleep.

Lance had rolled over onto his side at some point in the night, but Pidge had stayed right where she was, tucked into his side with his arm under her head and a hand over her waist, high above her stitches. It was cold, so at some point Lance had kicked off his shoes and crawled under the thin sheet that was supposed to be a blanket. This wouldn’t have been much of a problem, both of them were very mucha ware that Pidge wasonly wearing a hospital gown.

“Morning…” He mumbled, slowly sitting up. Pidge grunted, rubbing at her eyes to rub sleep away and wake herself up.

“Morning…” She yawned in that cute way of hers, her nose scrunching and her eyes tightly closed. She even had indent in her skin from where she’d pressed her face into Lance’s jacket.

“How are you feeling?” He asked her.

“Meds wore off,” She mumbled, putting a hand over her stomach. “It hurts.”

“Want me to get a nurse?” Lance questioned.

“What time is it?” She replied. Lance frowned before pulling his phone from his pocket to check.

“It’s half past my phone being dead.” He retorted, showing her the black screen.

“Oh…” She sighed. “It’s probably too early for visitors. Just give it another… Hour.”

“You sure?” He questioned skeptically.

“Yeah, I’ll manage.” She muttered, taking a few deep breaths to ease the pain.

“If it gets to be too painful, you need to tell me. I don’t want you suffering just so I can stay longer.”

“I’m gonna suffer more if you aren’t here,” It came out with a throaty groan as she felt a small sting in her side. It was already getting worse, but she didn’t want Lance leaving.

“Pidge…” He began, and she knew where this was going. He was going to try and berate her for this, but he didn’t realize how badly she wanted him to stay. If he had to leave, she wasn’t sure what she’d do.

She had to think of something to get his mind off of it. Even if it was for her wellbeing, she didn’t want him to leave.

_Think fast, Pidge. Think of something._

“It’s snowing out,” It was just a little ray of hope, but it worked. Lance turned around to look out the windows jaw dropping open at the sight of heavy snow-flakes falling against the window and darkening the world.

“Wow,” Lance marveled, climbing out of bed to wander over to the window. “Hard to believe it’s supposed to be spring in a few weeks.

“Yeah…” Pidge breathed, the full weight of his words falling on her.

It was spring in just a matter of weeks. She’d been in school for eight months now, and soon enough they’d get their well-deserved spring break, but what did that mean for her? Going back home with nothing to show but only a few seconds of a clip proving them innocent? It wasn’t enough, and she knew that, but the very thought made her sick to her stomach.

“Pidge…?” Lance asked, looking back at her. He heard the way she sounded; that dismay and guilt in her tone that sounded all too familiar. He knew exactly what was going through her mind, and it was only verified when he looked back and saw the way her head was down, her hands in her lap and her eyes fixed on them.

“Y-Yeah…?”

“You okay?” He asked, but it was a dumb question. He knew how she felt.

“Y-Yeah, I just… I wish I could see it. The snow I mean.” She lied, hoping he’d stop questioning her.

“You can’t see it?”

“I just see it falling. I can’t see any of the trees and… And stuff.” She waved a hand at the window, only slightly upset by that though. She actually wanted to see it, but not as much as she let on. Whatever got Lance off of her trail helped though.

“… Want to see it?” He asked.

“Huh…?”

“The snow,” He motioned to the window with a shrug of his shoulder.

“How?” She replied. “I can’t get up.” In response to that, Lance smiled as he walked over to her bedside. He undid the railing, pushing down so it wouldn’t be in the way before, pulling on her blanket. To that, Pidge could only yip and grab the fabric with a white-knuckled grip. “Lance!”

“What?”

“I-I’m not…” She flushed, her hands tightening on the blanket to make sure he didn’t pull it away. “I’m in a hospital gown!”

“Oh relax, Pidge. I’m not gonna look.” He assured her. The brunette hesitated, but it wasn’t like Lance would do that sort of thing to her. She trusted him, so after a few moments, she let go of the blanket.

Lance smiled as he turned his head away, eyes staring up at the ceiling as he tugged it down to expose her legs and whatever else the hospital gown wasn’t covering. He tucked an arm under her knees and another under her back, helping her sit up before pulling her up and against his chest.

He had to take a moment just to make sure he didn’t blush. He could feel the skin of her upper thighs against one palm, and on the other, the warm expanse of her back where the gown was open.

Pidge quickly locked her arms around his neck, but the stab of pain was intense. She gritted her teeth together and hissed, feeling the room spin at the sudden motion. Lance stopped and waited, looking down in worry.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, just… Just give me a sec.”

Lance did exactly that, giving her the time she needed to adjust before she slowly nodded. His grip on her was girm as he turned to the window, and Pidge grabbed the IV pole to drag along.

His walk was slow and steady, an even pace, and she was thankful for that. It helped her relax in his arms. She was even more thankful when she could look out over the town, seeing a fresh blanket of snow everywhere, roads barely disturbed so early in the morning. It was practically a storm, and how it could snow like this so close to spring they weren’t sure.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t beautiful. They both awed at the sight, taking in the freshly covered town, barely a soul in sight minus the few people entering and exiting the hospital. Hardly a car was on the road, and the trees were covered.

“Wow…” She breathed, resting her head on Lance’s shoulder. “It’s… Beautiful…”

“It’s interesting to hear this come from the girl who hates the outdoors.” Lance remarked, laughing deep in his throat.

“I can appreciate something like this from inside with a nice blanket, a book to read, and some hot chocolate.”

“Sounds like the best day off in a lifetime.” Lance had to quell the idea of a day like that, but with her at his side. Maybe the two of them sitting in a rocking chair, taking a nap while it snowed like crazy outside.

“I know…”

They gazed out the windows for only a few short minutes. After a while, Pidge was really starting to feel the pull of her fresh injury, and the small whimper she let out was enough for Lance to know it was time for her to be back in bed. He really shouldn’t have moved her in the first place, but whatever made her feel better he’d do.

They went back to bed, and Lance set her down carefully, making sure not to look while his hand searched for the discarded blanket. Pidge didn’t let go either, holding onto his neck and keeping him close. Close enough he could feel her breath against the skin of his neck, and _wow_. He just realized how compromising this position would be if someone walked in on them.

Them lying in bed, him leaning over her and looking for the blanket. Pidge holding on.

_Lance, get your head out of the gutter. That’s not what this situation is, and you know it._

“Better?” He asked once he tucked the thin blanket back over her, just up to her waist.

“Yeah…”

Lance smiled, movingback to sit up before she pulled on his neck, effectively holding him in place. He stilled, looking down at her and seeing how close they were and the dark red hue on her cheeks.

They were _so close._

“Pidge…?” He breathed, feeling like his heart was racing in his chest, pounding against his ribs, but she didn’t let go. She was looking up at him with that shy, attentive look he recognized from the time they danced, as if waiting for something.

Or, dare he think, _expecting_ something.

One of his hands rested beside her head, the other was slowly falling to her cheek. There was a small intake of air, but she didn’t move. Only let her hands drift across his skin, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Her fingers gripped at his jacket and pulled, tugging him forward, and Lance felt like the world was stopping for just a moment. Just a moment for the two of them to finally let this happen.

He leaned forward, bracing himself above her as their noses brushed, but before he could feel that inevitable warmth of her lips, a knock sounded on her hospital room door.

In fear of being caught in such a position, Lance flailed away from her, forgetting entirely about the small space he was on and propelling himself out of the bed. He fell to the floor, knocking the chair that had been by her bedside across the room.

“Lance!” Pidge called out, but when he looked up in a daze, it wasn’t Pidge he saw kneeling next to him. Looked a lot like her though.

“Oh my! Are you alright, dear?” The woman asked, reaching under him to help him up. The world spun momentarily- he must have knocked his head against something when he fell (The floor would be his first guess)- but he couldn’t help but look at the older woman helping him up, both confused and mesmerized by the sight of her.

God, if this was who he thought it was, he could easily see where Matt and Pidge got their looks from.

“Mom…?” Pidge gaped at the woman, holding a hand over her stomach.

For some reason, Lance’s heart dropped into his stomach.

This was the very infamous Colleen Holt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a note, I'm super busy this coming week with recording and something from my agency (fucking finally), so no update next week. Cause I'm evil like that.


	19. Not Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my friends! Thank you so much for being so patient. I wanted to get this out sooner, but I was actually sick all of last week and got absolutely nothing done. Not even actual work, cause I legit couldn't talk. Today is the first day I woke up feeling better. It majorly sucked.  
> But I am back with an update, and guess what! I have done calculations, and after this chapter, we have 5 chapters left. Yessss, that's right. 5 chapters, and I do apologize if updates are slower. These chapters are actually going to be packed with stuff, so they'll be longer, but might not come out right away.  
> Alright, that's all the news today. Tune back on channel 10, Plance news, weeknights at 5 EST.  
> -Misty

“Mom…?” Pidge asked, trying hard to lean over the side of her bed to look at the woman by Lance’s side. “W-What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” The woman questioned, helping Lance to his feet. “My daughter is in the hospital and she’s asking me what am I doing here?”

“O-Oh…” The teen uttered, putting a hand over her stomach. ”Right…”

“Did you forget what happened already?” Her mother asked, resting a hand over her daughters shoulder. “You still look pale.”

“I’m fine, mom,” Pidge assured the woman, but not without the subtle hint of a teenage whine to her voice. “Really, I’m okay. My friends made sure of it.”

“Oh, that’s right. How rude of me.” Just like that, Pidge’s mother turned to Lance, holding out a hand towards him. “My name is Colleen Holt. It’s so nice to meet you. Are you a student at Katie’s school?”

Lance flustered in fear, reaching up to shake her hand. His eyes quickly darted back to Pidge, looking for some form of help. The smaller brunette quickly nodded, her eyes wide and panicked.

“Y-Yeah,” He responded. “I’m Lance McClain. It’s nice to meet you too.” The woman smiled, as if please by his introduction. He couldn’t figure out why when he knew he was seven shades redder than he normally was.

“That’s nice. Do you have the same classes?”

Again Pidge quickly nodded.

“Yeah, we uh. We’re in the same ones. Gym and… And stuff.”

This was so awkward and uncomfortable, but mostly horrifying. What did Colleen know? What had Pidge told her? How many lies did the woman believe that Lance didn’t know of?

“Mom,” Pidge spoke up, bringing the woman’s attention back to her. “Uhm, w-where’s dad and Matt?”

“Your father had an interview today that he couldn’t miss, and Matt should be up here any second. He was parking the car.”

“Oh,” Pidge’s brown eyes brightened. “Dad has an interview?”

“Yes, for our library.” Her mother answered. Quickly that light in her eyes dimmed.

“Oh…”

“Don’t be upset, honey. It’s a job.” Her mother assured, taking a seat on the bed by her knees. “It’ll help us get Bae Bae back.”

Lance awkwardly shifted on his feet, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets to give himself something to do. He felt oddly out of place. It was nothing new to him. Pidge had told him everything, but he felt like he was in a conversation he didn’t belong in.

“Right…” Pidge sighed.

“It’s decent hours though. You’ll still see him a lot when we get home later.”

“Later…?” Pidge asked, a moment of bemusement crossing her features.

“Yeah, when we get home later tonight.”

“I-I can’t go home.”

“Why not?”

“I have to stay here,” Pidge looked to Lance, fear coursing through her veins. “What about school?”

“Honey, we’ll have your teachers send your work home with you. You can’t just stay at school when you can’t even get up for the next few weeks.” Her mother insisted, but the teen shook her head.

“No, I’m fine! I can stay in my dorm and do my work there!”

“Katie…”

“Tell her, Lance!” Pidge begged of the teen, looking to him for help. “Tell her I can stay and do it here!”

Lance looked to the ground, his fingers clenching in his pockets. He wore a moue of indecisiveness as he looked back at her, to Colleen, and then back to Pidge.

“… You should really go home and rest.” He said despite the look she gave him, which quickly turned into a look of shock. A look of hurt and betray.

“Lance!” She exclaimed, trying hard to sit up and failing. “H-How could you agree with that?”

“I’m sorry, Pidge!” He tossed his hands out at his side. “But you just had major surgery! You should go home and rest!”

“I thought you were on my side!”

“That’s enough!” Colleen snapped, standing from the bed and pushing at her daughters chest. “Kaitlyn Holt, we do not raise our voices like that.”

Lance had to hold back a snort of irritation. Clearly Mrs. Holt was not aware of how outspoken Pidge really was.

“But-!”

“No buts,” Colleen quieted her with a pointed finger. “ _Do not_ yell at him for caring about your health. You’re coming home today, and that’s the end of it.” 

The stern look Colleen wore was very much a mother’s look. A look that made him think of all the times his own mother had lectured or yelled at him for something he’d done. The very idea was nothing but unpleasant, but he was more than uncomfortable just being here.

He had no place in this. This argument was between Pidge and her mother, and standing between them made him feel like the odd one out, shifting uncomfortably on his feet while his hands fisted together by his legs.

“I-I uh…” He began, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m gonna head to the cafeteria.”

“I’m so sorry about this, Lance.” Colleen apologized. Pidge stayed silent though, looking down into her lap with a deep frown.

“No, no, i-it’s fine. I just uh, I’m just hungry.”

Lance was definitely hungry, but that was the last thing on his mind. He just wanted to get out of here before he was stuck in the middle of another argument.

The brunet spared a quick look towards Pidge, hoping for something; a few words, a smile, or even just a simple look, but nothing. Her eyes didn’t lift from her lap, and that was all he needed to leave the room.

He didn’t get far. He didn’t want to risk walking past the nurse’s station and being caught by someone for being there early, so he just leaned against a wall by the bathrooms, sighing to himself.

This was all so messed up. Everything from Pidge’s surgery to her mother showing up, and even the threat of her being exposed weighing so heavily on their heads. Anything at any moment could ruin it all. One slip of the tongue or someone saying the wrong thing.

It was already bad enough the hospital knew she came from an all-boys school. What would happen to her if they told the school?

It was sad that he knew the answer to that.

More importantly, Colleen was going to take Pidge home. As much as he wanted her to stay (he was beginning to think this was for his own benefit, not her families), he knew she had to go. She had to rest and recover from this so she could start fresh again without anything hindering her, but that was six weeks. Spring break was only a few weeks away, so while she wouldn’t miss much of school, that was six weeks set back from her goal. Six weeks of being at home again where everything was falling apart. He could tell she was already scared to go back with nothing to show for the year, but this was going to be worse. She wouldn’t even be able to run and hide from any of it.

This would be six weeks apart too. Six weeks of not seeing her, being alone in the dorm for most of it and wondering how she was. Sure, they had their phones, but it wasn’t the same. There was something relaxing about having her presence around him instead of a meager text message.

Suffice it to say, he would agree with Pidge completely that she could stay at the school and recover there, but he knew better. He knew her health came first before anything else.

So it was really happening then. She was really going to leave today, and this time there was nothing Lance could say or do to stop it. He just had to play along and hope that nothing happened that would keep her from coming back.

“Lance…?”

The brunet’s head shot up, his train of thought screeching to a halt to see Matt walking towards him, his hands in his pockets and his cheeks red from the cold. Pidge’s brother stopped beside him as Lance straightened up, hoping to look like he wasn’t doing anything suspicious, even though he hadn’t been.

He just felt like Matt would find something to get angry at him for.

“Matt,” He spoke up, looking to the floor. “Glad you’re here. F-For Pidge…”

“I’m glad you told me about it.” Matt told him, moving to lean against the wall.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Lance asked.

“Pidge is so stubborn and independent. She could have been going through this alone and never would have told us so long as it meant finishing what she came here for.”

Pidge’s brother let out a heavy breath, as if letting weight slip from his shoulders. He must have been tired from working so much, and then to suddenly leave from work to drive all night and get here so early meant that he probably hadn’t slept in a while.

“Of course she’d do that,” Lance muttered, his eyes rolling. “But it’s no problem. I’m glad I could help.”

“I mean it…” Matt’s words held a seldom tone in them that Lance wasn’t used to, promoting him to look up at the man. The softened gaze in his tired, brown eyes was something he wasn’t used to either. “Thanks for taking care of her. She’s been telling me all that you’ve done, and… I’m really glad she has you.”

As much as it warmed Lance’s heart to hear those words, he couldn’t help but feel a strike of fear run through his heart.

She hadn’t told him about all the times they slept in the same bed, right? How they stole money out of a water fountain to afford the game system? How he almost saw her naked a couple of times?

How they _almost_ kissed. _Three times?_

“Y-Yeah…” Lance nodded stiffly, offering up the calmest smile he could to ward off any suspicions. “I mean, she’s my best friend. I would do anything for her. I-I mean not anything like _that,_ I just mean like anything that could help her! C-Cause I wouldn’t like do that sort of stuff cause I respect her and-!”

Lance’s panicked rambling was cut short by Matt’s sudden burst of laughter. A laugh straight from the belly that was loud, but not at all mocking. He definitely seemed like he enjoyed Lance’s pain though.

“You’re not a bad guy, Lance.” Her brother breathed out, rubbing at his cheek that was shaded with hair he hadn’t had the chance to shave yet. “She’s in there, right?”

"Yeah..." Lance stuttered, dropping his head. His eyes looked to the floor as Matt patted his shoulder; something soft and not at all threatening before leaving to go to her room.

Lance couldn't help but feel like his whole body was melting with relief. Mostly due to the sheer fear rolling off of his shoulders from knowing he wasn't going to die today, but also knowing that he somewhat had Matt's approval.

Somewhat.

Had it not been for the call of his name, Lance would have practically melted to the floor, but stayed standing and looking for the source of the voice.

Hunk barreled in through the doors, past the nurse’s station, and nearly plowed into him had it not been for Lance quickly stopping him.

Pushing into his shoulders, he slowed the bigger teen down until all he could do was bend over and huff for air. Had he run all the way here?

"Hunk?" Lance questioned, bending down to eye level. "What's wrong? What are you doing here?"

"I-I gotta... The doors wouldn't... And then the elevator... Stairs..." Hunk panted, tugging on Lance's jacket and holding himself up. "Can't breathe..."

"I can tell..." Lance said, giving his shoulder a light squeeze. "What's going on? You're supposed to be back at the school."

"I-Iverson..." Hunk breathed, waving a hand at Lance like he was trying to communicate what he couldn't with physical movements. "Water... Need water..."

Lance blinked back his confusion before leaving his side to get to the closest vending machine, which just so happened to be down the hall and two the left. When he came back, Hunk had carefully settled himself down on the floor, taking deep breaths to settle himself.

"Here," Lance offered, handing him the water.

"Thanks..." Hunk chugged most of the bottle in one go, careless as to what spilled past his lips.

"So you wanna try that again?" Lance asked him. "Start with how you got here, because I'm thinking you ran."

"No, just... The elevator was out of order... Had to run up the stairs..." Hunk breathed, pressing the water bottle to his neck. Even in his heavy jacket he was still sweating.

"And you had to run... Because...?"

"Cause Iverson is here."

The words hit Lance like a ton of bricks, or like cold water splashing into his face. The whole world seemed to stop in that one moment, and he no longer cared if anyone, not even the nurse's at the station right next to them, were watching them.

"Iverson? He's here?" He asked, standing up and forcibly pulling a reluctant Hunk to his feet.

"Yeah..." The bigger teen breathed. "I thought I'd come early to check on you guys, but then I saw Iverson at the front desk. He's looking for Pidge."

"What the cheese..." Lance grumbled, more to himself than to Hunk. "He can't be here! Matt and Colleen are here?"

"Who's Matt and Colleen?" Hunk asked.

"Pidge's mom and brother! They came to take her home!"

"Take her home?" Hunk gaped at him. "B-But what about school?"

"I-I don't know, but- Ugh! That's not important right now!" Lance stomped his foot, his hands raking through his hair as he began to pace. "What do we do? Iverson can't see her! He's gonna find out!"

Hunk frantically looked around the hall, as if the area could provide an answer to their problem for them. When one didn't pop out in his face, his first instinct was to simply get Pidge's mom and brother out of here, but how? How did they do that without running the risk of Iverson catching them?

If they didn't get them out of here, however, Iverson was going to find them, and Pidge was done for.

"Hold on," Hunk muttered before wandering to Pidge's room.

He knocked on the door before poking his head in, finding three people in the room. Pidge, who was still laying in her hospital bed, looked up from her lap and smiled, relieved to see him. The other two, however, were the ones Hunk was looking for.

Genetics seemed to run strong on her mother's side of the family. It wasn't hard to guess who they were, and he was sure he would have known who they were without ever having to meet them.

"Hunk," Pidge greeted, giving him a toothy grin.

"Hello," Her mother greeted the teen.

"Uh, Matt?" Hunk asked, looking to the older man. Matt gave him nothing more than a confused look. "Can I borrow you for a second?"

"Uhm... Sure?" Matt got up and left the room with two equally confused people behind. "But uh... Who are you?"

"Matt!" Lance called out, running up to him.

"What?" Matt questioned, seeming more defensive with the unanswered questions.

"We need your help," Hunk told him.

"Seriously. Who are you?" The brunet asked him, eyes narrowed in on him.

"This is Hunk," Lance introduced for him. "He knows Pidge is a girl."

"You _what?"_ Matt barked. Hunk and Lance instantly shushed him.

"I know, I know! He found out yesterday! It was my fault, but we don't have time for explanations!" Lance tried to reason hastily.

"I retract my previous statement about you, Lance." Matt grunted, his arms crossing over his chest.

"Would you just listen?" Lance bit out, his hands tossing out at his sides. "Iverson is here! He's looking for Pidge!"

Quickly the defensive look on Matt fell, his eyes widening and his arms falling to his sides.

"He's here?"

"Yes, and we need to make sure at the very least he doesn't see you or Mrs. Holt!" Lance explained, his words rushed and not all that put together.

"Wait, why can't he see them?" Hunk asked.

"Because he was my boss. If he sees me, he's going to know who Pidge is." Matt told him, his hands pressing into his chin, deep in thought.

"Oh..."

"We have to get you guys out of here!"

"We can't leave yet. Mom still has to get Pidge's discharge papers filled out, and then she has to leave with _us_." Matt told them. "And right now mom is chewing Pidge out for yelling at you."

"Wait, why did she yell at you?" Hunk asked.

"C-Cause I agreed with her mom that she should go home to rest!"

"I told you to admit your feelings for her, not get into a fight with her!"

"Admit your _what?"_ Matt's frantic anger was turned towards Lance quickly. Too quickly. The brunet instantly curled in on himself in fear.

"Oh thanks Hunk! Make me the bad guy!"

"I didn't know he didn't know!"

"You guys, we don't have time for this!" Lance blurted, looking down the hall at the doorway in fear that Iverson would walk in at any moment. The nurses were giving them all bad looks. "Matt, just-just figure out a way to get your mom out of here for a bit! Take her to the cafeteria or the gift shop! Anything! Just get her out of here!"

Matt was no less than angry, but he decided that Lance was right. This was most certainly not the time for any of this. If it meant protecting his sister, he had to stop this useless fighting and get his mom out of this area before Iverson showed up and saw them.

"Fine," He huffed. "Lance, text me when you have the all clear. I can't promise how long I can keep her busy."

"Got it," Lance nodded, his fingers still tugging on the ends of his hair on the back of his neck as Matt walked away.

"Lance..." Hunk mumbled, almost whispered, because he could see the angry looks and could tell they had caused a bit of a disturbance. "What do we do with Iverson?"

"I-I don't know yet," Lance breathed out. Breathed in. Held it. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his distressed thoughts, to get himself together and figure out what they were going to do, because seriously.

What were they going to do?

After a quiet moment, Matt walked out of the room with Colleen behind him, looking awfully agitated. Whatever was going on in there clearly left her in an angry state, which seemed very out of place for her. Not like Lance would know the difference, but he wasn't keen on seeing where Pidge got her anger from.

"We're just heading down to the front desk for some paperwork." Matt mentioned in passing, waving a hand at the two of them.

"Cool, w-we'll be here." Hunk offered, shrugging his shoulders.

Mrs. Holt quietly waved at the two teens before following her son, and after they disappeared from the hall, the two of them bolted into the room.

Pidge startled when they both charged in, and if it were any other time, Lance would stop to ask Pidge about the tears making her eyes red, or what had happened with her mom. He'd sit down and console her on whatever it was, but didn't, because they just didn't have the time.

"W-What's going on?" Pidge asked, her voice strained to avoid showing her emotions.

"Iverson is here," Hunk told her, looking around the room for any evidence that might lead the man into suspecting her.

"What?" She gasped.

"Don't worry, Pidge. Matt took your mom out of here, so he can't find them. Now we just have to..." Lance stalled, trying to think of what they could do.

"Have to what, Lance? What do we do?" Pidge asked, trying hard to sit up, but she was struggling.

"I-I don't know," Lance breathed out. "We'll just think of something-"

A knock on the door stopped him.

The three of them held their breath, the tension in the air thickening. Pidge grabbed at her thin bed sheet and pulled it up, covering her chest, as if that would somehow help them with whatever was about to happen.

Another knock. Whoever was outside was clearly waiting to be invited in.

"... C-Come in," Pidge called out, her voice shaking.

The door opened.

It should have come as no surprise to who it was, but there was still that small shred of hope that it wasn't who they feared.

Principal Iverson, standing behind the door in a heavy winter jacket, suit pants, and thick snow boots. With it still snowing out, one could see the snow on him melting from where he stood, but that was the least of any of their concerns.

"Good morning, Mr. Gunderson." Iverson said, that deep, graveling voice throwing fear into their hearts.

Despite how heavy his legs felt, Lance still managed to numbly move to Pidge's bedside.

"Hi..." She uttered, wanting so desperately to grab Lance's hand, but she couldn't. Not right now.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked her, setting a hand down on the railing at the foot of her bed.

"Fine," She answered curtly, hoping to make this quick. She needed him to leave. "Just fine."

"You gave us all quite a scare yesterday, Gunderson." He said. "We weren't expecting for something like that to happen."

"Sorry," She apologized. "But everything went fine. Doctor said I'm fine now."

Principal Iverson's eye searched between the three of them before narrowing towards Lance and Hunk.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked them. Hunk coward back towards Pidge's bed while Lance stood firm. "You should be in school."

"W-We're sorry," Lance apologized. "We were just worried for our friend, since he's sick, so we both just stayed the night."

Well, he had anyway, but he didn't need to know that Hunk hadn't. That Hunk had actually been on campus and decided to leave instead of going to classes.

"We're sorry..." Hunk added on, hoping to diminish some anger. Principal Iverson stared for a moment longer before sighing.

"Due to the situation, I'm willing to overlook it." Iverson told them. "However, I expect you both in class tomorrow. No excuses."

"Absolutely," Hunk breathed a sigh of relief.

"Will do," Lance said. Iverson nodded, seemingly pleased with that response for the time being.

"I know you'll have to head home, Mr. Gunderson, so I should be in contact with your parents by the end of today." He told Pidge, walking away from her bed. "Until then, just get some rest. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

Had it not been the need for a response, Pidge probably wouldn't have said anything. The words he spoke had chills going down her spine, her eyes wide, her breathing labored. Had anyone looked, they would have seen her heart rate slow on the monitor by her bed.

"O-Okay..." She uttered, and this time she didn't hesitate to reach for Lance's hand and give it a squeeze. He squeezed back, a small sign of comfort.

"Have a good day." He said, and with that, he finally left the room.

It should have meant that the three of them could relax, but they were as tightly wound as when he came in. The only relaxation that could happen was just to breathe and know that her real identity wasn't an immediate problem.

_Yet._

"Oh god..." Pidge mumbled, shaking in her place. Lance sat on the bed beside her and pulled her against his chest. "H-He's going to find out. He's going to call my parents. H-He-"

"Pidge, breathe. We'll figure something out." Lance told her, running his hands through her hair.

"H-How?" Pidge shuddered, her face pressing into the crook of his neck. "How? I-I can't keep doing this. My luck is gonna run out."

"Pidge, please don't worry," Hunk set a hand down on the only place on her back Lance wasn't touching, gently rubbing to sooth her. "We've got your back, okay? We won't let anything happen to you."

Finally the tears sprang from her eyes. More tears of fear and anxiety, of the pressure to finally finish what she had come here to do. All of it spilled out.

"I-I love you guys," She whimpered, hugging tighter around Lance's shoulders. She didn't even care that it hurt to sit in this position. She needed this.

"We love you too, Pidge..." Lance whispered, pressing his cheek into the side of her head. Behind her, Hunk's eyebrows lifted, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk. Lance had every intent to flip him off had another knock not sounded at her door, followed by Matt's head poking into the room.

"Is it clear?"

"Yeah," Hunk said. Matt sighed as he walked in, shutting the door behind him.

"Where's your mom?" Lance asked.

"She went to the bathroom. I texted you about it." Matt said. "She wasn't in the mood for running around the whole hospital."

"It's alright," Hunk assured him. "Iverson left. We've got the all clear for now."

"For now?" Her brother asked, sitting down on the bed beside them. Pidge finally lifted her head from Lance's shoulder to look at him. "What happened?"

"He said he's going to call mom and dad." Pidge whimpered. "He's gonna find out anyway..."

"To hell he will," Matt bit out. "I didn't just argue with mom about buying you a stuffed mermaid from the gift shop just to have him find out."

"So how do we stop him from calling your parents?" Lance asked him.

"We don't. We just make sure he calls a number like mine that's not traceable, and then fake a manly voice to sound like a dad." Matt explained.

"You can't do a manly voice." Pidge muttered.

"Hey," Her brother said in a warning tone, finger wave and all. "You want me to save your butt or not?"

Pidge covered her mouth and giggled, trying hard not to laugh. It still hurt too much, and yet the relief was strong. It was relaxing. Her shoulders were dropping and shaking and her hands were jittery at the idea that Matt would once again save her, but only this once. She still had a lot of work to do, and this time she wasn't going to fool around. She still had to save him and her father.

"Thank you," She breathed, wiping more tears that fell from her eyes. He was saving her again, but she wasn't done fighting just yet. "Thank you, Matt, thank you..."

"Of course, Katie..." Matt grabbed her hand and held onto it, offering her a gentle smile. Lance wrapped an arm around his shoulders, but froze at the look her brother gave him.

Great, now he knew too. He wasn't sure what all Pidge told him, but clearly it wasn't _this,_ and now he had knowledge over his head that he didn't want him knowing.

Just perfect.

"Wow, what a morning," Hunk breathed, stretching back on his hands. "Stuff like this can only make ya hungry. Who wants some breakfast?"

"I'm down for it." Lance said, smiling.

"Mom and I ate on the way here, actually." Matt told him. "But thanks."

"I mean... Unless they have ice cream?" Pidge chuckled, holding a hand against her stomach. There wasn't much she could eat right now besides soft foods.

"I'll see what they've got." Hunk gave her a wink before sitting up off of her bed. "Be right back."

* * *

Hunk was staggering two trays of food. He hadn't even meant to get this much, but he'd gotten eggs and toast for him and Lance, and a soup with some milk for Pidge.

He managed pretty well, but the hard part was getting it all back to her room.

Hunk only managed halfway before he stopped, hearing a laugh from across the hall. He couldn't help but he just the tinniest bit nosy, looking across the way to see a very familiar woman standing there, her arms crossed over her chest.

Wait, wasn't that Pidge's mom? With...

Hunk felt everything around him still.

Principal Iverson.

"You know how I am," Colleen spoke up, her head shaking. "I'm always worried."

"That hasn't changed for years, Colleen." Iverson said. "I can still count the amount of times Sam came into work ranting about you worried over something."

"Well this one is serious." Colleen said, a very familiar pout on her cheeks. Hunk could easily see where Pidge got it from. "It's just so scary. Everyone is so stressed, and I know we can get through this, but..." Pidge's mother sighed, resting a hand over Iverson's. "Pidge is doing okay, isn't she?"

Hunk felt like he would have dropped both tray would it not have caused such a huge distraction, but his hands felt weak. His arms and legs; his whole _body_ felt _numb_.

"... She's doing fine." Iverson said, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"I mean her grades are okay? And she's doing well? Because I know Pidge left because-"

"Colleen, Colleen." Iverson asserted, squeezing at her shoulders. "Pidge is doing just fine."

Hunk felt so sick to his stomach. Any hunger he'd felt before was gone, replaced with a bit of nausea.

He wasn't sure when he began walking away, ignoring the rest of the conversation to go back to her room. He wasn't sure when he got there, and didn't remember the trouble's he had before with the food. He simply walked into the hospital room, finding only Pidge and Lance there now, smiling and chatting away, thinking that the problems they'd experienced before were gone.

They had no idea.

"Hey, you're back!" Pidge beamed at him, only to pause at the look on his face. The worry became evident from both her and Lance when they saw how distraught he was.

"Hunk, buddy, what's wrong?" Lance asked him.

"... I just..." Hunk began, slowly shaking his head. He set the trays down on the bedside table. "I just heard Iverson talking with your mom..."

He didn't need to look to see the fear spread across her features. He didn't need to look to know Lance was holding onto her, or that she was holding onto him. He didn't need to look to know this was going to be the most devastating blow Pidge would ever feel in her life.

"I'm sorry, Pidge... He knows you're a girl..."

Pidge was more or less frozen, her hands coming up to cover her mouth, hiding it. The tears dribbled around her hands and off of her chin, down onto the blanket covering her legs.

"N-No..." She shook her head. "No, no, no!"

"I'm sorry..." Hunk apologized.

Pidge smacked her hands into the blanket, into her _legs_ , scratching at the fabric and gasping for air. Her stitches hurt; they pulled as she gasped, and yet she didn't care. That didn't hurt nearly as bad as the pain in her heart did.

She failed herself and her family, failed Shiro and Keith.

She _failed._

"Pidge," Lance tugged her against his chest, holding her in place as her nails dug into his jacket. Just before he could say anything more, however, she pushed at his chest, forcing him off of the bed. "P-Pidge-?"

"Get out of here!" She exclaimed past a tear streaked face and red-blotched skin. "You have to go!"

"What?" He asked her, looking broken by her words. “Why?”

"Because Iverson can't know you know about me! If he figures it out, you'll get in trouble! You have to go!" She pleaded with them, even though it practically killed her to say those words.

More than anything she just wanted Lance at her side. To have him stay with her through whatever was about to happen, but she couldn't do that. She couldn't be selfish anymore. He and Hunk had to leave before it was too late.

"Get out of here!" She cried out, pushing at his chest again. Lance grabbed at her hands though, holding them as he climbed back into her bed.

"No," He said, his voice stern.

"Lance-"

"I knew what I got myself into when I agreed to keep your secret safe, Pidge. I know the consequences," He assured her, feeling her nails biting into his palms. "And I'm not leaving you behind."

"You..." She uttered.

"You can still leave though, Hunk." Lance told his friend, looking up at the bigger teen, standing by quietly. "You only just found out. You can play it off like you don't know anything."

The brunet looked slightly bemused, but his resolve strengthened with each passing moment. He rounded the bed to stand beside Lance, reaching over to rest a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

"I'm not leaving."

"Are you sure?" Lance asked. "Hunk... We could be arrested for this."

"Well then that's what's gonna happen." He said, his shoulders shrugging. "You guys are my best friends. I'm not letting you go through this alone."

Pidge's glassy eyes looked back and forth between the two of them, searching both of them for some other answer.

They should leave. They should get out of here and pretend that they never even met her, but they didn't. They weren't moving. They were standing firm on their resolution to be with her until the end. They were sticking with her, but why?

All she had ever done was push them away, Lance especially. She never gave them a reason to trust her or to like her, and yet they weren't leaving her. They were staying by her side.

"B-But..." She whimpered, at a loss for words.

Lance pulled her against his chest again, his hands sitting low on her back and his head resting on top of hers. Hunk sat beside the two of them and wrapped his arms around them both, pulling them in for a close, tight hug.

Somewhere along the way, Pidge broke down again. She cried into Lance's shoulder, held onto Hunk's hands, and felt a pain so much greater than anything she had ever felt, but she wasn't alone.

Thank goodness she wasn't alone.


	20. Unanswered Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like how last chapter I said the next chapters were going to be longer and take a while to update, and yet here we are.  
> Moving on.  
> -Misty

Walking back into the dorm after Spring Break wasn’t as exciting as he expected it to be. He wasn’t sure where the excitement, the happy jitter and anxiousness of many possibilities and new beginnings went from the beginning of the year, but he just couldn’t care less.

He wasn’t as hyped up or as jumpy as the other guys running around, and instead of running around and saying hi to those he hadn’t seen, he went right back to his room. Lance blamed it on the long bus ride, hunger, and a lack of sleep, but he wasn’t in the mood to converse with his classmates.

Walking into their dorm room, however, didn’t make him feel any better.

Most of Pidge’s stuff, the things too big or heavy to put into a few suitcases, were still here. Smaller things like her laptop, her clothes, and the framed photo of her and Matt were gone. All the trash on the floor had been cleaned before he left. Her stuff hidden in the crevice of her bed and the wall gone. All the small quirky things that were just so _Pidge_ were gone.

It felt strangely empty.

Lance sighed as he set his duffle bag down on the floor, walking over his desk to open the window behind it, letting in the warm air. Spring was finally here, April just barely around the corner. Only a few days left, and only two months left of the school year. Lance couldn’t believe how fast this year went by.

A cool breeze blew into the room, brushing bangs that were in desperate need of a cut back from his face. The pleasant smell of spring flowers and freshly mowed grass wafting through the air, and the first thing to come to Lance’s mind was Pidge’s allergies. She would hate this type of day.

Lance groaned, rubbing his face irritably and stalking over to their bunks. He dropped down on her neatly made bed, unsure of what to think right now.

He hadn’t heard from her in a week. She hadn’t bothered to text him about school, if she was coming home, or if Iverson had gotten ahold of her. From the last few texts they’d shared, her parents hadn’t been notified of anything. Matt never got any calls he needed to fake either. Nothing bad happened, and that was more unsettling than knowing they were in trouble.

It was the waiting and wondering that was killing him and her. The idea that Iverson knew about her, but had yet to do anything about it.

Unless he had, and that was why she never texted him back.

Lance wasn’t sure. It had been six weeks since he last saw her in person, and it was nothing but a boring, painful six weeks. Sure, Lance had a great time with his family. He spent time with his siblings, made dinner with his mom most of the nights, watched the stars from the hammock outside, and woke up to the constant bickering of his family at ungodly early hours of the morning, but he still worried for Pidge.

If all went well, she’d be back to school. If all was fine, then she’d come back hopefully today or tomorrow, and start up classes again on Monday with him and Hunk.

That was _if_ everything was fine.

Lance let out what felt like the seven hundredth sigh today before getting up. He was tired, and being tired meant he was going to dwell on this and get no answers out of it. He needed some food from the cafeteria, and then sleep. He needed to catch up on eight hours of it that he didn’t get on the bus, and maybe a nice face mask to help with the visible stress in his skin.

First things first though, a shower.

* * *

Pidge wandered the halls of the dormitory slowly, on guard and on high alert. She was keeping her eyes open for Iverson, wondering when he was going to stop this cat and mouse game and just get her already.

When was he going to spring this trap on her and expose her as a girl? When would he do it?

The wondering was getting to her. The unanswered questions and waiting for the punishment that was sure to come was making her lose sleep, the bags under her eyes heavily prominent, and she constantly suffered a headache.

Maybe Lance would have some medicine for her? Just like he always did.

The prospect of seeing Lance had her heart beat heavy in her chest, and past the labored breathing from carrying her stuff, she knew that the faster she got to her room, the faster she could set up her stuff and wait for him to get back.

So she hurried as fast as she could up the stairs. Her body wasn’t used to the physical exertion after being in bed for so long, and her doctor had warned her to take it slow, but it didn’t mean much to her when all she could think about was _seeing Lance_ again. She had missed him so much.

Pidge managed to get to their dorm, but she didn’t think beyond opening the door. She didn’t think he’d be back yet, knowing Lance’s bus ride was far longer than hers.

She didn’t think she’d see him standing by his desk as naked as the day he was born with water dripping from his hair.

Pidge let out some weird sound. Something lost between a word being choked on and a strangled cat. The sound was enough to surprise Lance into turning around, and-

Pidge felt heat rise up to her cheeks. She didn’t think this was healthy.

“P-Pidge!” Lance gasped, hurriedly grabbing for his towel slung over his chair.

“I-I’m so sorry!” Pidge cried out, turning around to run out of the room, but she miscalculated where she was standing. All she got was a face full of door frame right into the nose.

“W-What are you doing here? You never said you were coming back!” Lance exclaimed as he hurriedly dressed. His shirt was only buttoned up half way, and crooked at that.

“I-I was trying to surprise you!” Pidge told him, covering her nose and wincing in pain. “I thought I’d be here long before you!”

“They changed my bus schedule, so I left early,” Lance shucked on some socks before rushing to dry his hair just enough so that it wasn’t dripping. “I-I’m dressed...”

Pidge slowly turned, looking over her shoulder to see him, cautious, as if Lance would lie about something like that. He may have been a show off, but he wasn’t _that_ kind of guy.

When she saw him standing there fully dressed and holding his arms out for her, she sighed with relief. The brunette could stop herself from dropping everything and running into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and pressing her face into his still damp skin.

Lance was _so warm;_ she had almost forgotten what this felt like. She had gotten so used to her dad’s, mom’s, and Matt’s hugs that she genuinely missed the feeling of Lance against her, holding her, his breath against her neck and his arms tight around her waist. It sounded silly to think that she wanted to ask him to squeeze her, especially since she couldn’t do anything strenuous, but that was what she wanted.

“I missed you,” Lance whispered, running his fingers through her hair.

“I missed you too,” She said before sniffling.

“Well don’t cry. I’m right here.” He joked, running a hand up her back.

“I’m not,” Pidge pulled away to run a finger under her nose, but was no less than surprised to see blood stain her skin.

“Uh oh…” Lance uttered.

“Oh shoot,” Pidge covered her nose with her hand while looking for something else to keep the blood from getting everywhere. Lance quickly went to his duffle bag, still mostly packed, and got a box out. He rushed to open it, pulled out a tampon, and yanked it from its applicator. Before Pidge could even say anything about it, he stuffed it into her nose.

Pidge stared down like she could see it, feeling the string dangle against her lips. She then looked up to him, her expression hard to read. A quiet moment passed, and then another.

“I’m not sure if I should ask you why you did that or why you have tampons with you in the first place.”

Lance chuckled, rubbing the back his neck.

“My allergies were acting up over break, so I stole my sister’s for my bloody noses. Kinda… Brought some with me by accident.”

Pidge snorted, or what could only be a snort with a bloody nose as she rubbed her palm into her forehead, her eyes rolling.

“Of course you’d do something like that.”

“Yeah, well, you love me for it anyway.” He said, the words from weeks ago still fresh in his mind. To say that he was happy when she flushed was an understatement; he was practically flying over the moon at it.

Lance was beginning to think that the feelings were reciprocated. That she actually cared for him too, but as much as he wanted to ask her about it, to ponder her thoughts and know how she felt, he couldn’t. Not right now at least. Not with everything so up in the air.

Speaking of which, that was something they needed to catch up on.

“Come here,” Lance took up her hand and pulled Pidge until they both could sit on the bed side by side and relaxed. He didn’t let go. “How are you?”

“Fine…?” She said questionably. He waited for her to understand. “O-Oh, you meant the uh…”

“Yeah.” Lance chuckled.

“It’s fine. Healed up well. Stitches are out.”

“Got a sick scar?”

“Heck yeah.”

The two of them shared a small laugh, Pidge unconsciously moving her hand low over her stomach, feeling where the still-fresh wound was.

“I’m glad you’re better. I just… Wish you had told me what was going on this last week.”

“I’m sorry…” She apologized, her fingers tightening around his hand. “I really wanted to surprise you, but I guess… I didn’t think it through.”

“It’s alright.” The brunet shrugged his shoulders. “You had the best of intentions.”

“Yeah, I just… Had a lot on my mind.”

Lance knew what she meant by that. He knew that she was referring to the problems at home, and he didn’t need to ask to know it had only gotten worse. It definitely didn’t help that the pressure was on her to make things right, now doubled with Iverson knowing of her existence in the school. To be stuck at home with no way to run out when it got bad, no where to go, and no one to turn to, must have been a literal hell.

“I wish I could have been there for you…” Lance mentioned, his fingers running over the back of her hand.

“Lance…” Pidge sighed, a distant, fond look in her eyes. “You texting me every day was more than enough to keep me sane…”

Her eyes finally met his, a little glassy and red. Filled over with emotions, but Lance didn’t know what they were. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore, except that her eyes were a brassy ember that spoke volumes.

“I’m glad I could help…” Neither were particularly aware of the position they were in, or that Pidge still had the tampon hanging from her nose. It was the least of their worries though, only proven when she pulled it out, checking to make sure her nose had stopped bleeding. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I…” She looked up at him again, her lips parted, but the words in her brain stalled. “I… C-Can I try something?”

“Uh, sure…?”

“Close your eyes…” Pidge instructed, shifting her weight more on her knees.

“Why do I-?”

“Just…” Pidge’s hand settled over his lips, so soft and gentle. “Close your eyes…”

Without another thought, Lance did.

He felt the shift of her hand, moving to cup his cheek. He waited anxiously, hoping with everything in his being that what this was, was exactly what he’d thought it’d be.

God he hoped so. He had yet to feel what her lips felt like against his, if at all.

The subtle shift in her hand was enough to have him peek his eyes open, to check on what she was doing.

She was only a few inches from his face.

Their eyes met, and even with the flush of color dusting her cheeks, she didn’t back away. It was as if she was waiting, either expecting or hoping for something from him. To be denied what she was attempting to do, or to be edged along and to continue. To finish what she started.

He didn’t push her away.

“Are you gonna kiss me?” He asked. Pidge pulled her lips in tight, her tongue barely peeking out to lick them. Lance’s eyes followed the motion closely.

“Can I…?” Her voice was unsteady, airy as she breathed out.

Lance’s hands cupped her cheeks, bringing her just the few inches left, their noses brushing, breathing heavy and riddled with anxious fervor against their lips before there was a knock on their door.

Unlike the last time this happened, Lance didn’t fall out of bed or panic and run away. The two up them simply parted, looking lost and bemused (Pidge maybe even a little annoyed). Lance’s hands fell to her arms, sliding down until he could hold her wrists.

“… Come in.” Pidge mumbled, barely able to focus on anything other than what just nearly happened.

 _Again_ is was an almost. They could both scream in agitation, and all Lance could do was press his palm into his forehead.

“Hey guys!”

Hunk came barreling in with his happy and boundless energy, a hand waving at the two teens sitting on the bed. The tense filled air between them dissipated into something more lax when they saw him, smiles and greetings exchange. Hunk eloquently pulled Pidge from her bed and into his arms for a big bear hug.

“It’s good to see you too!” Pidge gasped for air as she returned the hug to the best of her abilities, but no one could match Hunk’s hugs.

“I’m just so glad you’re back!” He beamed, pulling back to look down at her. “I missed having your around! How are you feeling?”

“A lot better now.” She said, offering a smile. “Still a little tender though.”

“Ah, if that’s the only problem, then we’ve got no problems.” Hunk offered, finally turning to offer Lance a pat on his shoulder. “How’ve you been?”

“Ah, the usual. Anxious and panicked for more than just school.”

“I feel you on such a spiritual level.” Hunk joked, his hands falling to his hips. “To be honest… I didn’t think you’d be able to come back.”

The reminder of what happened six weeks ago was still fresh, but it had been nice to forget about it for a few moments. However, the elephant in the room had to be addressed. The problem they all knew they now faced together as a team, because this was a team effort.

“I wasn’t so sure I would either.” Pidge mumbled, moving slowly as she sat beside Lance again. “I was waiting for it to happen, but… It never did.”

“Why though?” Lance asked. “Iverson knows you’re a girl. Why wouldn’t he alert the authorities, or at least call your home?”

“… I don’t know.” She answered truthfully, because all she knew was that he knew. Any plans he had were left in the dark, only to happen when he decided it was time, but when would that be? When would Iverson think _now_ was the time to expose her?

The constant wait was more stressful than hiding her secret now.

“So…” Lance began, shifting in his place. “… What are we going to do?”

“… I-I don’t know…” Pidge shook her head slowly, at just as much of a loss for ideas as they were. “I… I don’t know…”

“You know what,” Hunk began, throwing his arm to the side. “I know that we can’t think of a proper game plan right now. We all just got back. It’s midafternoon, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry. Let’s go down to the cafeteria and get some lunch. We can talk more after we have full stomachs, and maybe a nap.”

“Sounds like a decent start,” Pidge began, smiling weakly. “I’ll meet you down there though. I just want to unpack a little before that. Get settled back in.”

“Her code for _toss her things everywhere and make a mess of our room.”_ Lance jokingly stated, grinning towards her.

“Oh shut up,” Pidge rolled her eyes and pushed into his shoulder, her hands small and ineffective, but he enjoyed the touch nonetheless.

“You can’t deny the truth.” Lance said before standing quickly, avoiding another smack. Lance’s hands were up in defense as he backed away, but Pidge had given up on them as they turned around and left the room.

“I guess everything is back to normal then.” Hunk suggested, but only a second later did Lance throw a fist into his shoulder. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“She was about to kiss me!” Lance exclaimed, but in a tone that wouldn’t be heard from the room, or any other room they passed as they walked. Lance’s pace was just a bit faster to angrily stomp away from Hunk. “And then you just had to walk in and ruin the moment!”

“How was I supposed to know what she was going to do?” Hunk gaped at him. “You guys are so hot and cold it’s ridiculous!”

“This was it, Hunk! This was the moment!”

“Ugh, things definitely haven’t changed…”

* * *

This late into the night, Lance should have been asleep, but he wasn’t, and couldn’t for so many reasons. He was tossing and turning in bed just as much as the brunette below him in her bunk, rolling around so much that the sound was forcing his heart to beat just a bit faster, and for his legs to shift and twitch like his grandad who used to have RLS.

It was like this for hours. It really shouldn’t have gone on for that long, but eventually Lance rolled onto his back, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to his ceiling. The colors had long since faded.

“Pidge…?” He called out softly. The movement below him stopped. “I know you’re awake.”

“I’m not the reason you’re awake, am I?” She asked. Lance swore he could hear her roll onto her back.

“Yes, but not because you’re moving around like you are.” He replied. The light hearted sarcasm was appreciated. There was a grunt from below, the sound of blankets being kicked away, and a sigh.

“I can’t sleep.”

“I can tell.”

Pidge got out of bed and climbed up the ladder, her head poking up and staring at him in the dark. She almost looked like a little gremlin with the way her hair stuck up in all sorts of directions, the nightlights lined along the floor barely illuminating her skin.

“Any room up here for me?”

“Always…”

Lance scooted over, allowing her room to climb into bed and curl up beside him.

He realized with some form of excitement that this was the first time Pidge had ever been in _his_ bed. He was always taking up hers just because it was on the floor and easier to get to, but now Pidge was in his bed. She was laying in his bed, right beside him, her arms pressed into his chest, fingers playing with a loose button on his sleep shirt, and her woody, pine smell permeating the sheets.

“I don’t know what to do…” The smaller teen whispered, her eyes looking at him through the dark and her breath warm against his neck and jaw.

“You close your eyes and count sheep.”

“I should kick you for that.”

“But you won’t…” Lance rubbed his hand up her back, his other carding through her hair, coaxing her into a relaxed state. ”I know you mean about Iverson…”

“Why hasn’t he done anything, Lance?” She asked, her fingers tightening in his sleep shirt. “Why hasn’t he exposed me? Why hasn’t he reported me to the police?”

“Maybe he’s going easy on you?” Lance offered.

“No, when he caught me the first time, he said I was lucky he didn’t call the police on me, and if he ever caught me again, he wouldn’t hesitate. He’s not holding back…”

“Then I don’t know…” The brunet sighed.

“I’m actually asking you!” She chirped, siting up on her elbows. “You’re better with people than I am, so you should know!”

“But I don’t,” Lance said, slowly moving up to sit with her. “I don’t get why he still hasn’t said anything about you yet.”

“Like, is he just waiting to take me out of a class in handcuffs? Does he plan to get to me tomorrow before school goes back Monday?” Pidge asked, more so just to vent off the internal questions, not get actual answers. “I can’t keep doing this, Lance! My brain hurts and I can't handle this stress of not knowing what’s going to happen! The more he holds back the more I feel like I’m going to snap!”

“That’s not going to happen,” Lance threw his arm over her back, giving her a light tug just to bring her closer. “I won’t let it. I’ve got your back no matter what, and remember that Hunk is with us now too.”

“But that won’t stop him,” Pidge muttered. “The whole world knowing I’m a girl won’t stop him from exposing me…” Her face fell into her hands, fingers rubbing at her temples. “I’m so tired of waiting…”

“So what do you think we should do?” Lance asked her.

“We have to just stop messing around and do it. Whatever _it_ is…” Pidge lowered her head back onto the pillow, looking up into blue eyes and wishing the whole world would just stop for five minutes so she could keep looking. “Working remotely isn’t working anymore. _Clearly_ it isn’t working, so there has to be something else…”

“Maybe you could hack into Iverson’s computer here.” Lance suggested. “I bet it’s somehow linked to the Garrison’s files…”

Pidge’s whole body tensed in his arms.

“He has a computer here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4 chapter left~


	21. At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! I missed everybody here, but life's been hectic, and I was going to upload this last week, but then life happened again and I was like merp. If you follow me on tumblr, you've already heard the story. ^^' So I'm here with this chapter that has been done for weeks, but I didn't have time to freaking edit it. It also comes with a picture, which was hell to try and figure out coding to put it into the story, only to find out there's a little button that let's me insert it right there. So that happened.  
> Anway. Enjoy the chapter! :D  
> I'm sure you will. ;)

The next night, the plan they had concocted was finally in motion.

At one in the morning, everyone was fast asleep. It only made it easier for Lance and Pidge to sneak out of their room, down the halls, and out of the dormitory.

They had to be quite. What they were doing was definitely a crime, but that wasn’t new for them. Lance thought back to jumping in the water fountain, which was trespassing, and Pidge knocking that blonde flat on his butt was definitely assault (one never mentioned again), but he digressed.

They went to the main building, crawling through a loosely locked window into the science wing. No one saw them yet, but this was far from over.

“Where’s his office?” Pidge asked in a hushed tone.

“This way,” Lance waved a hand at her before wandering out of the room, looking down the long hallways to make sure no security guards were on duty. He didn’t think they would be, but they couldn’t be too careful. He led the way, wandering through the large expanse of the school, up two floors, and down all the way to the end where the principal’s office was. He pulled on the handle, but it didn’t budge. “Crap, it’s locked…”

“You can’t just bash it in?” Pidge asked him, and judging by the flat tone of her voice, she wasn’t kidding.

“The point of this is to _not_ get caught, Pidge.” Lance said, looking around the hall. “I mean, unless there’s a way through a vent somewhere.”

Pidge’s eyes fluttered around the area.

“There’s one right there…” She said, pointing to the vent she spoke of not far to their right. Lance followed her hand as she walked to it, kneeling down to inspect it closer.

“I was kidding Pidge!” He exclaimed, kneeling down beside her. “You can’t seriously expect us to fit in this!”

“I could…” She mumbled, her fingers pinching around the screws holding it closed. “Here, hold this.”

Pidge was quick to shuck off her backpack and hand it to Lance. He held it, still dumbfounded by the suggestion that she would even do this as she rummaged inside, pulling out a small bag. She pulled a small screwdriver from that, looking through the small tips to find one that would fit.

She had everything in the free world in her backpack, didn’t she?

When Pidge came across one that would fit, she got straight to work, undoing the screws holding the vent in place one by one.

“Pidge…” Lance uttered in a warning tone, looking around them to make sure no one would walk down the halls. He feared seeing a guard with a flash light showing up any second.

“I got this…” She spoke in a calm and affirmative tone, knowing that panicking would do nothing in this situation for anyone.

The last screw came off, falling to the floor with a small clink. Lance helped her pull the vent cover off and move it aside, taking a look inside. It was pitch black in there, with cob webs just barely in view.

“Pidge, you can’t be serious about this.” Lance said, motioning to the vent. “You wouldn’t even be able to see your hand in front of your face!”

“That’s what flash lights are for.” The brunette assured him, reaching into her backpack to look for said item.

“You got your dog in there too? What the cheese, Pidge…?” Lance muttered bewilderedly. Pidge snickered to herself as she turned on her flashlight, looking inside the vent and crawling on her belly. “Just be careful.”

“I got this, Lance. Don’t worry.”

“When you say that, it makes me worry.” Lance admitted, watching her disappear into the vent. “You see anything?”

“I see a dark vent. No, wait…” She paused. “Yep. Just a dark vent.”

“You’re so funny…” It was a sarcastic answer, one that made her laugh from inside the vent, echoing through the metal walls. Lance leaned against the door beside him, looking through the halls for anyone on duty as he listened to her distant crawling. After a few quiet moments with little promise of progress, there was a metallic clang that had him jump. “Pidge…?”

No response.

Lance leaned down and stuck his head in the vent, looking down the direction she went, but he didn’t see anything. All he saw was another open vent and some light, but that was it. 

“Pidge!” He whispered in a panic tone.

The door beside him opened, the sound soft on carpeted floors, but creaking at the hinges. He jumped in place, his head banging on the ceiling of the ventilation shaft before he looked back, seeing a mildly smug and amused Pidge standing behind the door.

“Tada,” She mused, her arms outstretched to the room around her. Lance rubbed at what was sure to be a bruise the next morning.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack.” He grunted as he sat up, pushing the vent cover back into place.

“Sorry about your heart.” She apologized, her hands behind her back in a coy acts of sorts that made him think that she wasn’t serious. “Now come on. Let’s go before someone shows up.”

“Let’s not leave any evidence that someone is here first, Pidge.” Lance remarked, using the screw driver she had used earlier to put each screw back into place. Once done, he stuffed everything into her mess of a backpack (how she ever found anything he wasn’t sure), and followed her inside, locking the door back up behind him.

The principal’s office was as much of a principal office as it could be. Lots of books, file folders, warm colored walls and a big window outstretched and showing off the school yard behind a giant oak. There were bookshelves all over, with some trophy’s and emblems of the past, a desk with a fancy chair, and a big computer centered in the middle of it all.

“Bingo,” Pidge whispered as she went to his desk. Lance busied himself with fixing the vent cover that she had so eloquently kicked out, then went about looking through some of the files in his desk. Anything that would help aid their progress and help Pidge find what she would need.

“What am I looking for, Pidge?” Lance asked her, looking up at her while she set up her laptop.

“Look for anything dated back to March two years ago.” She said, turning the computer and her laptop on. “I highly doubt he’d keep a physical form of evidence here in a school, but if so, it should be dated.”

“Got it,” He said, nodding as he looked through vanilla folders, searching for anything dated back that far.

“Some of it might be around his bookshelves too. Might want to check there.” Pidge spoke as she anxiously waited for Iverson’s computer to turn on.

“If he does keep something as a written record, what do you think it looks like?” Lance asked her, pulling out a stack of folders all dated back pretty far. He didn’t have much in here that was recent.

“I guess they’d be something like contracts, or written agreements. Maybe even those work incident reports or witness statement things.” She told him, spinning side to side in the chair.

“I don’t think we’re going to find any sort of witness statements considering any evidence they had was fabricated. They had no witness’s.” Lance remarked. Nothing was in these files regarding the incident, but he did find something interesting. Something dated back farther than when her family and Shiro had been falsely accused.

_Keith Kogane._

His name was written in bold letters on the top of one of the folders. Curiosity piqued, Lance couldn’t help but open it and look inside.

The first thing he saw on top of the stack of papers was a picture of Iverson, his eye black and blue, swollen, and looking worse for wear. This must have been the day Keith punched him out, effectively getting himself expelled from the school.

Below Iverson’s picture was a file, a witness statement with Keith’s picture stapled to it. If Lance thought about it enough, he could imagine this being Keith’s mug shot, because what else would a picture of him standing against a white wall be? Especially when he looked so pissed off.

“What’d you fine?” Pidge asked. She managed to finally start up the computer, and was now running through it, attempting to get past the security encrypted password.

“Keith,” Lance answered, holding up the photo of Iverson. “I see why he got expelled.”

“Oh…” Pidge looked at the photo for a moment, taking in Iverson’s beaten face before turning back to the computer. She didn’t look like she was too sympathetic to him from back then. “That’s all?”

“Just witness statements and an incident report from then, but that’s it. It’s only Keith in this file.”

“Strange he keeps only that there…” Pidge muttered.

“Any luck there?” Lance asked her, putting the folders away.

“I’m trying to get past the passcode first. I’ve got my program running right now.”

Pidge was quick to work, her computer already hooked up and doing its thing. Lance looked at her screen to see so much going on, and he wondered how she could possibly keep up with it all, but this was Pidge. If anyone could do it, it was her.

“What about firewalls and stuff? Like, won’t they find our IP address?”

“Nope! No point when it’s from Iverson’s computer.” She said, and a moment after she pumped her fist into the air. “I’m in!”

“Really?” Lance stood up and hovered over her, one arm resting on the desk while the other rested on her back. “So now what?”

“I get into the Garrison’s network…” Pidge’s fingers were rapid fire. Lance couldn’t keep up with how fast they moved, simply watching everything across the screen flash by in a flurry. Documents and pages and everything that was attached to the Garrison. “This is so much easier from here. I wish I had known about this sooner.”

“Could have gotten what you needed last year if that was the case.” Lance mentioned. Pidge’s fingers stalled on the keyboard.

“… Let’s pretend that’s not true and move on.” She sighed, readjusting her position in the seat.

“Got it.”

Pidge went back to work, finding the files they had seen two months ago and pulling them up. Everything was still there. The pictures and the videos. Everything she had seen before was still there.

“This is it…” She breathed, her hands shaking as she made a copy of the file. She had to have all of it.

“How long will it take this time to download it?” Lance asked her.

“A bit, but we don’t have to worry about someone monitoring the progress this time.” She assured, leaning back in her chair as the file began downloading into her laptop.

This was it. They had the files. At last they _finally_ had the evidence.

“You okay…?” Lance asked. He could see her shoulders shaking.

“… I think so, yeah…”

Not one hundred percent okay. She wouldn’t feel that way until everything was downloaded, and until they were safely back in their room.

Lance settled a hand on her lower back, his fingers just a gentle touch that was both calming and soothing.

“You’re shaking…” He noted softly. Pidge fidgeted in the chair, looking up at him with an expression he couldn’t read.

She looked… _Scared._

“I uhm…” She muttered.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“… I-I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for what you’ve done…” She whispered, reaching for his hand on the desk. Her fingers threaded lightly through his own, squeezing for reassurance that he was more than willing to give. “I-I just…”

Pidge swallowed, feeling a lump form in her throat. Something tightening and constricting, making it harder to breathe. The all too familiar burn of tears in her eyes even made it worse.

“Don’t worry about it…” He told her, bringing their linked hands to his chest and holding her hand close to his rapidly beating heart. He wasn’t sure when that started.

“B-But I can’t repay you. I don’t know how…”

Lance could hear the way she was suddenly falling apart. Months of their work, _years_ of her stress finally coming off of her shoulders.

“You don’t.” Lance assured, offering up a gentle smile. “I’d do anything so long as it makes you smile.”

Pidge was pretty sure her heart stopped. Maybe kicked her ribs a couple of times, or dropped into her stomach. It was doing a whole bunch of crazy things, and all because Lance just knew how to make her all sorts of flustered and embarrassed.

How did he do that to her?

“Lance…” She wanted to talk about this more, but there was a bleep from her laptop before she could fully figure out what she wanted to say. She was so frazzled that she couldn't even remember what that was for. “It’s done…” She mumbled.

Lance looked at both screens, seeing the copied files of videos, photos, and documents now saved on her laptop.

“Cool. Let’s get out of here.” He said, stuffing the last of the folders back into Iverson's desk.

Pidge quickly unhooked everything her laptop was connected too, stuffing cords back in, followed by her laptop. She did a once over on everything in her laptop before putting it in and zipping it up.

“That’s everything…”

Lance could still hear the lack of emotion in her voice. He could feel the quiver in her fingers when he took up her hand again, and when her brassy eyes looked up to him, he could see the extra shine in them. She was on the verge of tears.

“Come on,” He pulled her along back to the door, his fingers tightly wound in hers, but just before he could open it, they heard something on the other side. Keys pushed into the lock from the other side, slowly unlocking the door Lance had been sure to re-lock.

In a panic, the two of them darted away from it, both looking around to find somewhere to hide. Lance opted for behind the thick, oversized curtains, because that was the only place he’d fit while Pidge crawled under the desk.

Lance held his breath as the door opened, heavy, boot clad footsteps walking across the carpet. He could hear the chair being pulled out, and for a moment he feared the worst.

Whoever was in the room with them now would surely notice Pidge was there. They’d kick her from under the desk, or go to the file drawer and see her as they searched.

When there was no immediate response, and all Lance could hear was the typing of keys, the brunet dared to peek out from behind the curtain.

He’d recognize that bald head anywhere. Iverson was too easy to recognize, even from the back, but surprisingly enough, he wasn’t his biggest concern.

Blue eyes darted down to Pidge under the desk, huddled up in the corner with her backpack to her chest. If Iverson moved even an inch, he’d notice she was there. He’d kick her by accident, and then it was all over.

Brassy eyes sought out Lance, silently begging and pleading for help, but what was he supposed to do? There was quite literally nothing he could do without exposing himself, and doing that might just very well tip Iverson off to the girl under his desk.

It was a very long, painful fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes of Iverson typing on his computer, every now and again opening up a new browser to email something or work on a pdf file. Lance watched it all, fearing the moment the older man would take wind of what was happening around him.

Another five minutes, and finally the man let out a sigh. Lance watched in horror as he leaned back, his legs stretching out, but somehow, he didn’t kick her. Pidge curled up so much that he just barely grazed her pants, but he didn’t feel a thing.

The man soon got up, and Lance hid back behind the curtain when their principal turned off his computer and left his desk. Lance waited, and even after the door clicked shut, and he could hear the keys locking the door once more, he waited.

Eventually, it was Pidge who made the first move. Pidge, who crawled out of her tight space and sprawled out on the floor, letting out a small gasp.

“Are you okay?” Lance asked, finally coming out from behind the curtains and getting down on the floor.

“H-He almost kicked me. He-He-”

“Pidge,” Lance interrupted her rambling. “Don’t worry about that now. Let’s get the heck out of here before he comes back.”

“What if he’s still out there?” Pidge asked, allowing Lance to help her up onto unsteady and shaking legs.

“Here,” Lance tugged her over to the big window, unlocking it and pushing it open. “We’ll climb down the tree.”

“Are you insane?” Pidge asked incredulously. “We’re gonna die doing that!”

“Well we aren’t going to make it out of here with Iverson in the halls.” Lance retorted, stepping out onto the nearest branch. It was sturdy under his feet, thick enough to carry his weight, and if could carry his, it could hold her. “Come on!”

Lance held out a hand to her, prompting for her to take it and follow him. Out of all the crazy things they had done, this somehow was the most terrifying thing yet.

Didn’t he know there were bugs in the trees? Spiders that could get on them and mosquitos that would leave lumps on her skin for days? Because that was usually the outcome of her stepping outside at night. Big mosquito bites and spiders the size of her thumb sitting on her leg.

“Pidge,” He called out, anxiety rising. Pidge whined as she grabbed for his hand, her other one hesitating to let go of the window. His fingers were warm against her damp, clammy hands, but he held on with an iron grip as she slowly treaded out onto the branch.

Mother Nature was never on her side, however. She would forever blame the branch from jumping out under her foot, letting her plummet down. She let out a scream, but Lance quickly caught her hand, holding on tight and pulling on her with all of his strength.

Pidge scrambled for anything she could grasp. Branches and bark that scrapped at her skin and tore a hole into her jeans as she flailed about for purchase.

“I got you!”

Lance did most of the work for her, pulling her back up into the branch and bringing her against his chest. He dropped back against the trunk of the tree, holding her for dear life as she did the same. Her blunt nails dug into the skin of his neck and pulled on his hair, but he didn’t care. So long as she was there to do it, and not severely injured in the process, but his focus instantly fell to the six week old injury.

Lance sat back, examining her up close through the dark. He could see her clutching at her stomach, wincing in pain, and instantly his worry flared.

“Are you okay?” He asked her, placing a hand over hers.

“Y-Yeah…” She uttered, taking a few slow, deep breaths “It’s just tender…”

“You’ll tell me if something’s wrong, right?” He asked. More like demanded, because he knew how stubborn she was.

“Yeah…” Her brown eyes practically glowed in the dark as she looked up at him, her smile weak, but there and pure. Everything he wanted to see, but it was hard to see with how dark it was.

They needed to get back to their dorm room, and quickly before anyone found them like this.

This was not a story Pidge would be detailing to Matt whenever she talked to him again.

* * *

When they were safely in their room with the door locked and the lamp on Lance’s desk on, they let out a collective sigh. Pidge dropped onto her bed while Lance slowly treaded the room to her desk, leaning against it carefully. 

The room was quite, but it was nothing but a tense atmosphere. Lance wasn’t even sure why, because they’d done it. They got the evidence. Pidge finally got the evidence needed to clear her family name.

What then?

Was it over then? Would Pidge leave and never come back?

Her whole goal, the sole reason she was here was because she swore to save her family, and she had. The evidence safely stored on her laptop would surely get her families name cleared, and hopefully be enough to get her dog back, and quickly.

Matt could drop the two other jobs he had, maybe all of them, and get one that paid better. He wouldn’t have to kill himself working to handle the whole family.

They wouldn’t be lost in a sea of bills and debt. They’d be free, so that meant that Pidge would leave them. There was no point in staying anymore.

Hypothetically speaking, of course. Lance liked to think in that cliché way that he was the reason she would stay, even if it meant exposing herself and everyone who had been involved, namely him and Hunk.

So what did this all mean? That was all Lance could think about, and when he looked over to Pidge, he could see the internal struggle in her own eyes as well.

“Pidge…?” He spoke up, but he voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

Their only fears were waking someone up from the other rooms around them, but they were fine to talk normally in here. That tension he felt weighing heavily on his shoulders was doing it though. He couldn’t get his voice to be louder, bolder, and more confident for her benefit.

“Hm…?” She hummed, shifting uncomfortably on her bed. She pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them as she looked to the floor.

“How’s your stomach?” He asked her, leaning hard into the desk. He had nothing that could be a distraction for himself. It was just Pidge and her undivided attention.

“It’s okay…” She answered. “Just a bit sore.”

“You’d tell me if it really hurt, right?” He questioned, because he knew how she worked.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’d tell you…” Her feet fell to the floor with a dull thud as she looked to her backpack, her fingers brushing against the zipper. “It’s the least I can do for you…”

“You’re still on that?” Lance asked, his head tilting to the side with some form of annoyance. “Pidge, I told you-”

“It’s not what you think…” She interrupted him, barely meeting his gaze. “I’m just… Thinking about what’s going to happen now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” She took in a deep, shaky breath. “I tell the world. Iverson and the Garrison are exposed… But then what? Everything just goes back to normal?”

“I mean… That’s the plan, isn’t it?” Lance frowned at her.

“Nothing is going to be the same ever again, Lance…” She whispered. “For starters, I’m going to get the principal of this school arrested. What happens to this place?”

“I… Don’t think I get it.”

“What if they shut this place down?” Pidge questioned, a little more irate as her hands lashed at her sides to motion to the dorm around then. “And then you and Hunk? What about Rolo and the other students here? The other teaches?”

“I still don’t get it.”

“You’ll be out of school, Lance…” She clarified, much more stern then intended. “I’d be taking everything from you. Your education, your future. If I do that, you won’t be able to get into good schools, and Hunk would-”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Lance gaped at her.

“What do you mean _that’s what I’m worried about?_ Of course that’s what I’m worried about!”

“Pidge…” Lance held up his hands, motioning for her to settle down when her voice rose. They still had to think of their neighbors. “You can’t think about the _what if’s…”_

“How can I not think about them?” She asked, his shoulders dropping, her head hung low to avoid his gaze. “This is… Really important to you. I know it is. If the school shuts down for even a month, I’ve held you back. You and Hunk both, and I…”

Lance didn’t think it was possible, but she seemed to curl in on herself even more.

“I can’t ruin your future like this. I just… _Can’t…”_

“Pidge…” Lance sighed. “I get where you’re coming from, but you can’t worry about that.”

“But how-?”

Lance shushed her before she could say anything more.

“You just can’t. You have your family to worry about. Shiro and Keith need you too. Whatever happens, Hunk and I will be fine, even if the school is shut down for a bit.” The brunet shrugged his shoulders, his lips pulling into a smirk as he looked at her. He finally caught a glimpse of those brassy eyes staring back at him, illuminated by his desk lamp. “I’m resourceful enough to handle whatever comes at me.”

Pidge stared in a wide eyed silence, her posture stiff and her hands balled into fists, her knuckles turning white and her nails digging into her palms. Her mind was running a million miles a minute, and yet all she could think about was that Lance had never seemed so stupid and brave at the same time in all the months she’d know him.

He was willing to do that just for her?

No, of course he was. Thinking any less of him would just make her seem like the stupid one.

“L-Lance… I…” She uttered, too flabbergasted to think of something to say or do. Anything that wouldn’t be just her staring like an idiot.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

Pidge huffed, setting her backpack down on the floor and getting up.

It was the only thing that made sense anymore. The only thing that could convey everything she was thinking and feeling.

So she crossed the seemingly forever space between the two of them, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him.

Lance froze at the touch of her lips, his hands hovering in the air above her waist to touch her, but a part of him didn’t believe this was real.

When his first reaction wasn’t to kiss her back, or even to react beyond staring like he’d seen a ghost, Pidge pulled back completely, her hands falling to her hips to ring out the bottom of her uniform shirt, looking away and swallowing back fear.

“I-I’m sorry…” She apologized, taking a few steps back. “I thought that I… I mean I thought I could… I thought you’d… Uhm… I thought that’d be okay…”

Lance realized with some misplaced horror that Pidge was suddenly blaming herself. She thought she’d read the situation wrong, and that he hadn’t wanted to kiss her. Granted, Lance never expected their first kiss to go quite like that, but what happened was fine. More than fine.

It was _perfect,_ and she was blaming herself misjudging the situation.

He was just going to have to show her that she was wrong.

Lance stepped forward, cutting off her nervous rambling with a gentle kiss to her lips. A little crooked, and catching her off-guard meant her lips were parted around his, but that was fine.

When he pulled back, he looked into her eyes, cupping her cheeks in his hands in a silent way to tell her that it was all okay. What she didn’t wasn’t wrong. She hadn’t read the situation wrong. Far from it, in fact, and he was okay with doing more.

Their eyes slipped shut simultaneously, lips meeting on a more gentle approach. A soft, tender kiss that was definitely what the first one should have been like, but Lance was kicking himself for not taking the initiative.

Pidge’s hands moved, running up his chest and tangling into the collar of his uniform shirt while one of Lance’s hands sat under her ear and along her neck, feeling a rapid pulse beating underneath his palm and the heat of her warm skin. The other hand was still against her cheek, his thumb gently caressing just below her eye as their heads tilted, noses awkwardly bumping.

They had to stop to fix themselves, effectively making it easier to keep the kiss going. Both of them were new at this, but to Lance, there was no one better to learn with than her.

Lance finally moved his hand, letting it slide down her waist and to her hip with the other. He pulled, and she didn’t hesitate to press forward until their bodies were flush against one another. Her hands wound around his shoulders, fingers tangling in the hairs on the back of his neck as little puffs of air escaped their tightly sealed lips.

When they parted for air, their foreheads pressed together, noses brushing again as they quietly panted, but their eyes didn’t come off each other for a millisecond. Lance thought that if he were to die right now, he’d be quite content. So long as those big, brown eyes of hers never left him.

“L-Lance…” Pidge stuttered, staggering to stay on her tip toes.

Lance only now realized their bad posture from the height difference. How she had to straighten up as far as she could while Lance had to bend over to compensate.

Without another word, Lance took up her hands and pulled her back to the beds, sitting down on hers. She glowed in the dim lighting of their room as he looked up to her, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world to be able to see her like this. To be the reason she had a blush going down from the tips of her ears and down her neck, her eyes glazed over with a fog.

Pidge sat down beside him, evening out their height difference enough so neither were straining. It was easier for her to wrap her arms around his shoulders and kiss him with a new sense of courage while Lance held her against him, his hands resting on the small of her back while he leaned forward.

They fell back against the bed, Lance leaning over her with this elbows on either side of her head, as if protecting her from everything around them while she held on tightly to his shoulders. Her legs were parted on either side of his hips, trapped in every sense of the word, but she made no complaints.

If the small, drawn out sigh of content was anything to go by, then surely she wasn’t protesting.

Lance rested his weight to the side of her as he sat back, his fingers reaching for the frames of her glasses to discard them somewhere. He wasn’t sure where.

It was rare to see her without her glasses, and the few times she didn’t have them, he wasn’t up-close and personal to look at her. He didn’t get to take in every little detail, every fine line and freckle and commit them to memory. Her blush and her big, amber eyes, her pupils blown wide. Lance was pretty sure he looked just about the same.

It felt like every one of his thoughts were racing all at once, and yet stopped to focus in one what was happening right now. This one, single moment he’d been thinking about for well over a few months, and yet those thoughts could never compare to the real thing.

Her soft, warm lips against his when they kissed again. Slightly chapped and dry, but that didn’t stop the butterflies in his stomach from going mad. It didn’t stop his heart from racing, for the blood running through his veins to burn with the need to never have this stop. To stare wide-eyed at her face when he leaned back, taking in her closed eyes, her long eyelashes that casted shadows on her cheeks in the dim light.

She was so relaxed. So _sure_ about what she was doing, and while Lance had assured himself of being calm, cool, and collected if their first kiss (Whenever their first kiss) happened, he was the one in complete shambles.

This girl had that effect on him. She always had, and probably always would.

She did this to him, Lance didn’t have any plans of letting her go now that he had her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That picture has been done for months, and I couldn't even upload it, because it would have been a spoiler. Of course now I look at it and think "I need to redo this," but I'm leaving it as is.


	22. Don't Let it Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, so like... This was supposed to be out last week. I had it done too, I just couldn't bring myself to edited. But hey, that's okay, cause the next chapter is already done. Gotta edit that one too, so expect that in... Three weeks. X'D  
> -Misty

Lance had never felt this well-rested in his life.

It was comical in a way how much this felt like one of those romance movies. Waking up early in the morning with Pidge pressed against his front, a cool spring breeze blowing in through their window that was barely cracked open. Birds chirping, a distant cicada bellowing somewhere outside, and people talking. The school coming to life on a Monday morning, but not just any Monday morning.

Today was the first day of spring.

He didn’t think he could feel like such a bumbling idiot, but then last night’s memories surfaced, and once more his cheeks flared with color and his heart race. It pounded against his ribs like it was trying to escape, and for a short moment, Lance had to take in a deep breath to calm it, getting a quick whiff of Pidge’s shampoo. That only seemed to do the exact opposite of what he wanted though.

The brunet sat up a little, carefully so as not to wake up the younger teen still sleeping against him, her back against his chest, and her hands curled up by her face. One of them was holding his hand, her fingers loosely gripping his own in such a way that had his heart melt.

Lance had come to the conclusion that he would never let this go again. Now that he had it, he couldn’t imagine the rest of his life without it. This feeling of warmth and comfort that came from being next to this girl. A girl who had ultimately turned his whole life upside down, but all for the better. He wouldn’t have it any other way, because that meant never having _this_ again.

The idea alone was ridiculous, but it also made something settle in his stomach that he didn’t like. Something uncomfortable that made it hard to breathe. The idea of being away from her, even when she was _right there,_ hurt. Thinking about it, especially after last night, hurt more than he could imagine.

Last night filled with their kisses, of the gentle caresses and touches. Of holding her in his arms, pressed against his chest like the world was falling apart around them. Of her arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding him so close that it was impossible to think they hadn’t done this sooner. Of the hours spent holding each other until the adrenaline from their raid crashed, and ultimately, the two of them fell asleep in Pidge’s bed, huddled under her blanket for warmth.

Nothing had been solved. The reminder of what she still had to do was heavy on his mind, but for now, couldn’t he just pretend that this was a perfect world, and she would be by his side no matter what?

Lance smiled softly as Pidge sighed in her sleep, her eyes twitching like she was dreaming. He hoped it was a good one. His hand under the blanket trailed up her side, feeling the warmth of her body through her clothes as he settled his hand on her shoulder. Leaning down, the brunet pressed his lips into her cheek. Just a small peck, but her lips twitched up into a small, tired smile regardless.

His whole body tingled with the sight of it before doing it again. Once more, and then another higher up on her jaw. His lips trailed across her soft skin, along the roundness of her cheeks and the shell of her ear, all the while watching the cute little signs of the world coming back to her. Her eyebrows furrowed, her body realizing that something was trying to wake her up, but it hadn’t done much beyond small twitches.

Lance let his lips glide higher, pressing below her ear and running along her neck. A small sound escaped her, her shoulder lifting and bumping into his chin to stop him, and all he could do was chuckle. He sat back as she rolled over, facing him now instead of the room, her eyes blinking slowly as cognizance came back to her. The cute way her nose scrunched up as she yawned, followed by the way she rubbed at her eye with a sleeve covered hand nearly done finished him.

Brassy eyes looked up to him, at first dazed and confused. He watched and waited with baited breath and a smile until he saw the memories of the night before resurface, and her cheeks darkened with a pink hue.

Pidge whined as she covered her face, hiding the blush and her eyes from his view. Lance couldn’t help but chuckle again, his arm under her head lifting so he could play with her hair.

“Good morning…” He spoke in a hushed tone. Pidge’s fingers parted to look at him, her lips stretching in a big smile.

“Morning…” She mumbled, barely moving her hands from her face.

“Sleep well…?”

“The best…” Lance chortled, brushing her bangs from her face. Pidge’s hands moved, showing off the dark blush on her cheeks and down her neck. Even the tips of her ears were a bit red, but it was cute. Lance couldn’t think of anything other than cute to describe her, and that didn’t even seem like an adequate word to use, but it was all he couldn’t think of. “So… Uhm…”

The older teen tilted his head, smiling at the way her fingers found his, gently twisting to hold his hand in such an awkward position.

“Hmm…?”

“Does this mean… You like me too?”

The timid tone of her voice and the shy glances of her eyes before looking away had Lance’s heart hammering in his chest, his whole body going numb to everything but her. The way her fingers held tight to his hand as she asked it only did him in.

No girl would ever ruin him the way Katie Holt had.

“I dunno…” Lance mused, letting go of her hand to cup her cheek, the pad of his thumb running under her eye. “You tell me…”

It didn’t seem like she had an argument, but even if she did, it was silenced by a kiss. A gentle, soft kiss that she practically dissolved into. Her fingers tangled into his hair, keeping him right where she wanted him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him down more so they could press together. So their chests could be pushed into one another, and so Lance could hopefully feeling her racing heart.

It was gentle, like the previous ones had been. Her lips soft, but slightly chapped like the day before, brushing against his. Her head tilting to the side so their noses didn’t bump like before. The small bouts of eagerness that was just too cute (And once again, a horrible word to describe this, but that was all he could think about), and briefly Lance wondered if these past few hours of kissing had been her first experience in kissing anyone.

It wouldn’t be just her. It wasn’t something he went around telling people, but kissing Pidge had been his first time with anyone, and now he wondered why he hadn’t do it sooner. Although, the idea of kissing anyone besides her felt wrong.

So the only thing his mind could come up with to deter him from that was to just kiss her some more.

His arms wrapped around her body, keeping her close to him as they kissed. She sighed against his lips as they parted to take a breath, having not yet figuring it out how to breathe through a kiss before they were at it again. His hands ran up her waist, to her arms to avoid any awkward touches they weren’t yet ready for, and up to her neck, feeling the touch of her skin.

Pidge sighed again, a small and pleased sound leaving her just as the alarm by her bed went off.

The two of them jumped in place, the kiss breaking as they each glared at the horrible device that dared interrupt their moment. Lance practically growled as he leaned over, slamming a hand over the snooze button on the top to shut it off.

“Ugh, no…” He dropped all of his weight on top of the smaller girl, groaning as the real world came back at him full force. “I don’t want to go to school. Just five more minutes…”

“That’s all the snooze button gives you.” Pidge retorted, her cheeks burning from the heat of their previous kiss.

“Haha, very funny…” Regretfully, Lance sat up, hovering over Pidge to take in one last look at her laying under him, of her disheveled clothes, hair sticking out in all sorts of directions, and her flushed face before he pushed the blankets back.

He could already tell that it was warmer out today, but not by much. Just enough so that his uniform shirt and sweater, the ones he never bothered to take off from the night before, and his jeans were too heavy. It was a good day to try out his uniform from summer last year.

Lance stood up slowly, his arms stretching over his head, feeling his muscles waking up from what was probably the best night of sleep he had ever gotten in his life. He couldn’t remember a time he felt this well rested, and previous night’s spent with Pidge had never gotten him to this point of relaxation. He felt like he could take on the world, especially now that he had her by his side.

“I bet if we hustle, we can still get some decent food for breakfast.” Lance assured, looking around for his shoes. “What do you say?”

“Actually…” There was something in Pidge’s voice, something a bit somber and timid that didn’t sound right, especially with how she had been smiling only moments before. Lance turned to look at her, seeing her sitting up on the edge of her mattress, looking to the floor with a frown. “I think I’m gonna skip today.”

“Breakfast?”

“I guess… Everything?” She looked up, her frown deepening as she spotted him. “I think I… I need some time to think.”

“Oh…” Lance straightened up, his shoulders slumping. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah… I’ve got a lot to think about…”

Right. The questions from last night had never been resolved. They really hadn’t come to any conclusions for her problems. They just delayed them, but they couldn’t do that any longer.

“Want me to stay?” He asked her. “Because I will. I don’t want you to be alone.”

“No, Lance…” Pidge smiled at him finally, the relief in her eyes evident. “I’ll be alright. This is something I need to think about alone. Besides, you can’t miss your classes.”

“You sure?” Lance asked, walking up to her and resting an arm on the bunk above her. “Pidge, I’m right here for you. You know I would do anything for you…”

For some reason, what he said only made her frown. It was as if that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, and he couldn’t seem to figure out why. He would have thought that would make her happy, but it did the exact opposite.

“I know you would…” She sighed, taking up his hand and squeezing his fingers. “But don’t worry. I just need some time alone.”

There was something unsteady in her voice that didn’t sound right.

“… Okay,” He squeezed her hand back. “Text me if you need anything. Even in class, okay? I’ll be back in a heartbeat.”

“I know…” The smile she gave him wasn’t nearly as confident as the others had been. It looked fake almost, like she was forcing it.

Lance didn’t want to push the truth out of her. Obviously whatever it was she didn’t want to say, but he hoped she would at least come to him with it sooner rather than later. He wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone in this. He had her back one hundred percent.

“Okay… Want me to bring you some breakfast at least?” He offered one last time. This time, her smile reached her eyes just a bit more.

“No, I’m good. I’ve got snacks in my suitcase.” She assured. “Now go on. Go get the hot breakfast before all of these heathens take it.” She added with a small push to his chest.

The older teen rolled his eyes before turning away, her fingers falling from his hand. He threw his shoes on haphazardly before heading for the door, but stopped short when Pidge called out to him.

“Lance…?”

“Yeah…” He looked back to see her looking at him expectantly, her hands fisting the sheets beside her before she got up and walked over to him. She didn’t even give him the chance to ask what she wanted before her hands tugged on the collar of his shirt, yanking him down to be at eye level with her.

The questions he had were caught in his throat as she kissed him, something a little more desperate and riddled with anxiety. It didn’t feel right, and yet he couldn’t deny the contact of her lips, melting against her touch. His hands fell to her waist, relaxing into the kiss, his eyes closing on the sight of her tense features.

It was short, sweet, but tense on her part. She pulled away slowly, looking up with something that seemed almost _guilty._ Her eyes weren’t answering all of the questions he had, but he knew he wasn’t going to get anything verbal from her. She wasn’t ready to tell him just yet.

“I just… Had to do that again…”

Lance cupped her cheek, giving himself just a few more moments to enjoy this close embrace, and hoping that maybe, somehow, it’d help her too.

“You don’t hear me complaining, do you?” He asked. Pidge giggled, her head shaking lightly as she pulled away. “See you later?”

“Yeah…” She responded, her hands holding her arms. “See you later…”

* * *

Lance was practically jelly by the time he got to the table he and Hunk usually occupied.

“Morning Lance!” The bigger teen greeted, his French toast temporarily forgotten about.

“Morning…” Lance sat slowly, his tray sliding to the side so he could lay his head down on his arm.

“How was your spring break, man? How’s the family?” Hunk asked him, but all he got was a shrug of his shoulders.

“It was good…”

“Uh… You okay, Lance?” Hunk asked him, tilting his head to get a better look at the brunet’s face.

“Oh yeah, I’m just…” Lance sighed, his chin resting on the table, blissfully relaxed. “Loving life…”

“… Okay, what happened?” Hunk set down his fork, pushing his tray away for the full on investigation.

“Nothing happened,” Lance assured.

“Something happened. You don’t normally look like…” Hunk gestured to Lance’s person, which, in a painfully honest way, had seen better days. What with his clothes all baggy and winkled, and his skin a little oily. Lance never left the room without first doing his morning routine to insure proper moisture to his skin, so to see him like this meant something serious had happened. _“This…”_

“Can’t I just be a little out of it?” Lance asked, trying to turn his attention back to his food, but as it turned out, he didn’t have much of an appetite.

“… This is about Pidge, isn’t it?” Hunk guessed, and judging by the rose hue that dusted Lance’s cheeks, he was right.

“… Yeah.” The sigh the younger teen let out was pathetically smitten.

“Are you and Pidge finally together?” Hunk asked him, an air of eagerness around him as he leaned forward.

“Y-Yeah, I think so.” Lance rested his chin in his hand, his elbow propped up on the table. His eyes were fogged over with a dreamy look in his eyes that he just couldn’t get rid of, and boy, he knew he must have looked like a bumbling, love struck fool.

“You _think_ so?” Hunk asked, frowning at his words.

“Well, l-last night we… We sort of…” It didn’t seem possible, but Lance’s cheeks got darker at the memory. “We kissed.”

“It’s about time!” Hunk cheered, clapping him on the arm with excitement. “I knew you had it in you!”

“Oh god, Hunk, shush!” Lance exclaimed, covering his face in embarrassment. His cheeks were red for a whole different reason now.

“So what else happened?” The bigger teen asked. “What started it? How did it happen? How long did you kiss for?”

“Oh my god…” Lance slumped in his seat, covering his head with his arms. “W-We kissed for a while…”

“Whoa…” Hunk uttered. “You didn’t… Did you…?”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was referring to.

“N-No!” Lance didn’t think it was healthy to _feel_ the blush on his cheeks. “Just kissing! Only that!”

“Oh!” Hunk exclaimed. “Okay, good. Cool. That would have been a super leap into your relationship.”

“Our _relationship_ …” Lance breathed, feeling his skin crawl with goosebumps. “Yeah, that’s… Awesome.”

“You are so smitten for this girl.” Hunk chuckled, taking a slow, confident sip of his milk.

“What? I am not.”

“Oh you didn’t just say that.” The teen rolled his eyes at the comment. “What about picturing the future together? You can’t stop thinking about her? The time you danced together and looked completely lost in each other’s eyes?”

Lance flushed at all of the memories. All of the instances he’d told Hunk about while also trying to keep Pidge’s real identity a secret. He also flushed at the way Hunk’s eyebrows lifted and wiggled around at him.

“I-I uh…” He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck as he slowly sunk lower into his seat.

“Lance, real talk.” Hunk said, pointing a fork at him. “I haven’t ever seen you like this. This whole anime school girl look is written all over you.”

“I-It is not!” Lance argued, but Hunk held up a hand to him.

“Lance, admit it.” He said. “You don’t just _like_ her. I’d go so far as to think you’re starting to fall in love with her.”

Lance tried to get the word out, but instantly his body felt numb. The simple word had him dropping his head down into the table and yanking his sweater over his head, hiding the evident tomato color all over his face. Doing this only proved Hunk’s point correct, but thankfully the bigger teen was never a guy to rub his wisdom in everyone’s faces.

“I’m only saying it, because I care about you, and really…” Hunk patted Lance’s head, or at least where he thought it was hidden in his sweater. “I’m happy for you. You’ve got something really special with her, something that people don’t often find in life. Don’t let it go.”

Lance groaned from inside his sweater, popping his head back out when it got too hot inside it.

“That is by far the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard you say in the whole time we’ve known each other.”

“Oh please. Like your relationship with Pidge isn’t ripped out of the pages of some pre-teen romance novel.” Hunk scoffed, finally getting back into eating his pancakes.

“Oh god, that word…” The brunet spoke with a frown of bemusement.

“What, _relationship?”_ Hunk asked.

“Yes, that word!”

“Believe it or not Lance, you’re a big boy now, and big boys can use big words.”

Lance swung his leg in an attempt to kick Hunk under the table, but missed horribly. All he got was a stubbed toe on the inside of his shoe, and Hunk ignored his hiss of pain to bark out a laugh. The attention was unwelcome, especially with their _sensitive_ topic, but that didn’t matter right now. Hunk was done messing with him, even when it had become so easy to do so.

“Hunk,” Lance hissed, pulling his foot up onto the bench.

“Sorry, sorry. I give.” Hunk assured, shoveling a fork-full of pancakes into his mouth to give Lance a moment of respite before continuing. “So you didn’t really talk much about… Where you stand?”

“No, it was just… Emotional and all. I figured we’d talk about it later today.”

“Emotional?” The bigger teen frowned. “Why?”

Lance looked around at the other students. There weren’t many nearby, but he didn’t want anyone overhearing anything.

“Last night, Pidge and I broke into Principal Iverson’s office.” He spoke quietly, a hand cupped over one side of his mouth to make sure no one heard them. ”We got the evidence, Hunk. We have everything we need to clear her families’ name.”

“Wha- Really?” Hunk gaped at him. He wasn’t entirely sure what was more shocking about that statement. “You just _broke in?_ And then you actually got the evidence?”

“Yep,” Lance assured, leaning back in his seat to grab a fork and poke at his food.

“Wow…” The bigger teen uttered. “I… Can’t believe it’s true.”

“I had my doubts too.” Lance agreed with a slow nod. “I mean, it just seemed so… Unlikely. I can tell somewhere along the way, Pidge was starting to freak out thinking that maybe she was wrong, but… Yeah. We have everything now.”

“So is that why Pidge isn’t here right now?” Hunk questions. “She went to turn in the evidence?”

“No, not yet. She said she needed time.” Lance explained. “She said she needed to think about stuff. I kind of get it, but I also kind of don’t.”

“She’s hesitating…” Hunk concluded.

“Yeah…” Lance sighed. “Just said she needed time to herself.”

“Give her time then,” The bigger teen told him, his shoulders shrugging slightly. “Pidge is the type of… _Guy_ …” Hunk’s voice dropped as a few students walked by. “Who likes to suffer alone. It’s more helpful for _him_ to figure out everything he needs to do by himself.”

“I know, and I get that, but…” Lance sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. “I just wanna be with her…”

“And you will, but for now, give her some time.” Hunk assured. “If she doesn’t show up at lunch, go take her some food, and let her keep working. She’ll come around eventually.”

Lance hated the idea of time. He didn’t know how much time he had left with her. Even if she didn’t leave right away and finished out the school year, he only had about three months left with her. That time would go by so fast with school, eventual finals, and packing up to leave.

They both lived so far away from each other. Even if they decided to keep this… Whatever _this_ was going, he wouldn’t get to see her for a long time. Pidge would probably go back to school in her own town, and Lance would finish out school here. He wouldn’t know when he would be able to see her again, and that was just a horrible thought to even consider.

It just didn’t sound like enough time to be with her.

“I guess…”

* * *

Lunch rolled around quickly, and sure enough, Pidge wasn’t there. Lance originally went to sit with Hunk, but he agreed that he needed to go bring her food. She couldn’t just go through the day with _‘snacks she had in her suitcase.’_ She needed a decent meal, even if it meant breaking her concentration for a few minutes.

If Pidge’s plan was to really leave, any time spent with her was precious time. He finally had her, and now that he did, he didn’t want to lose her. Just like Hunk said, he couldn’t let this go now that he had it. It’d come to a point where they’d have to say goodbye, but for now, he wanted to pretend that was a distant and fleeting memory.

When he got to their dorm, he balanced her tray in one hand, his own along his arm so he could knock first, lest they run into another incident like a few days ago.

He flushed just thinking about an accidental peek at her, and oh god. He could already feel Matt kicking his butt for ever thinking about her in any indecent light.

“Pidge…?” He called out, knocking on the door. He waited a moment, getting no response from inside. Either she fell asleep, or she was in the shower. “I’m coming in.”

Lance balanced the trays once more before opening the door, carefully checking to make sure he wasn’t walking in on her naked.

What he saw was one thousand times worse.

Pidge’s stuff was gone.

All of it. Her stuff on her desk, her blankets, the picture frame with her and Matt, the clothes she always left everywhere, and the trash always thrown all over the floor.

All of it was gone. It looked like she never even stepped foot in the room.

“… P-Pidge?” Lance called out, as if she’d appear from nowhere and spook him, but she didn’t.

The brunet set their trays down on her nightstand before running to the bathroom, quickly opening the door and looking inside.

Nothing. Her toiletries were gone. Her towels. Anything that even resembled another person living here was gone.

It was empty, and Lance was left momentarily dazed into wondering why the room seemed even bigger now.

It was because everything of hers was gone.

 _She_ was gone.

Lance slumped against the ladder of their bunk beds, taking in a few, shuddering breaths as he tried to come to terms with what was happening, but he couldn’t get this thoughts straight.

She just up and left. Packed up everything and disappeared. No warnings, or not even bothering to explain what she had planned for him. She just vanished, leaving him behind before he had built up his walls, and he was angry.

Not livid, but definitely irate. Enough so to throw a hand into the lunch trays and knock everything to the floor with a gruff yell. The hash-browns, hamburgers, pizza, and even the peanut butter cookies he got for her for dessert all fell to the floor, crumbling on impact. Everything became soggy when his orange juice spilt open, and her milk carton drenched the carpet beneath the overturned trays.

Lance huffed, rubbing his hands over his face. He shouldn’t have been mad. He knew someday this would come, but he didn’t think it’d be this soon.

He never got to say goodbye.

Lance fell onto her mattress, groaning, trying to ignore the overwhelming flood of emotions when something caught his eye. Something that sat on the floor next to the trays, barely touched by the milk. His eyes read over the horrible handwriting on top of the folded up paper, curiosity piqued.

_“Lance.”_

He stood to retrieve the letter, opening up to read over the words written in it in that horrible penmanship she had.

* * *

Hunk had just settled down at his desk to get a few quick words into his essay before a knock sounded at his door. He groaned, figuring it his roommate who had forgotten their key again, but when he answered the door, he was no less than surprised to see Lance standing behind the door.

“Lance-”

“Pidge is gone.” Was the first thing to come out of his mouth, holding up the letter he’d found earlier.

“W-What…?” Hunk took it from him as Lance paced into his room, running his hands through his hair. The teen looked like he was in no condition to explain what was going on, so instead, Hunk looked down at the letter Lance had given him, stained with something wet at the corners with the teen’s name written on it. He opened it up, looking inside to see a bunch of barely legible writing, all bunched together on note paper like it had been rushed, and it probably had been.

_“Dear Lance;_

_Holy crow. I’m actually writing this. I… Lance, I can’t do this._

_You mean so much to me. Please don’t think you don’t, but it’s because I care about you so much that I can’t tell you I’m leaving._

_I… Texted Matt last night while you were sleeping. I told him to come get me. I didn’t plan to ever see you again, but that just… Really freaking sucked._

_~~This all really freaking sucks.~~ _

_I came to this school to get what I needed and leave. I had every intention to treat everyone I met like crap so that this would never happen. ~~This hurts so much.~~_

_I don’t know what I’m doing. I mean I do, but I don’t._

_I know you, Lance. Had I told you what I was doing, you would have tried to follow me, and don’t say you wouldn’t, because you would. I bet when you figured it out, you were wondering why you couldn’t come with me._

_You were behind me one hundred percent, and if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere, but it’s because you were so committed, I knew I couldn’t keep dragging you down._

_I can’t. I won’t. I refuse to hurt you anymore. If all of this goes wrong, you’re safe. Hunk is safe. You guys still have a future, and I’m not taking that away from you. I love you guys too much to jeopardize the rest of your lives, because I’m selfish._

_I’m really, really selfish, but I’m not dragging you down. That was never my intent, but you…_

_You just never knew how to leave me the hell alone, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that._

_I stand by what I said. There’s nothing I can ever do to make up for all you’ve done for me. This is definitely not how you thank someone._

_Any sane person would have gone to the principal regardless of my story and ratted me out anyway, but you were…_

_~~Awesome.~~ _

_~~My best friend.~~ _

_~~My boyfriend?~~ _

_Oh crap, Lance, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never known what to say. I’ve always been better with tech than with people. I’ve never cared for anyone outside of my family the way I care for you. You’re the most important person in the world to me, and that’s why I have to do this._

_I’m not dragging you down anymore. You aren’t putting your life on hold for me. It’s just. Not. Happening._

_Lance, I hope someday you can forgive me. That’s basically a dream at this point, especially after what I’m about to make you go through, but hey. That’s why I said see you later. This isn’t a goodbye. It’s a see you later, right?_

_Right?_

_-Katie”_

Hunk must have read through the letter twice before looking away from it. Lance was sitting on his bed, his phone up to his ear with a horrified expression written all over his face.

“Lance…?” He asked, finding it hard to find his voice.

The brunet pulled his phone away, pressing the speaker button so he could hear what he was listening to.

_“We’re sorry; you have reached a number that has been disconnected, or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again.”_

Lance’s hand was shaking, his fingers barely gripping the phone.

Hunk sat beside him on the bed, resting a hand on his back to rub small, comforting circles.

Yeah, this hurt him, but he couldn’t imagine what Lance was going through. Whatever Hunk was feeling, he was going through way worse.

He didn’t know what to do to help him either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters left~! WHO'S EXCITED?!


	23. Move On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god the release date for the final season has been announced and I'm not ready! My body is not ready, friends. My body is not ready.  
> -Misty

Lance had become bitter towards spring, and it was all because of what happened, but that was over. The allergies, sneezing, and swollen eyes were gone.

Technically it was still spring for another few weeks, but as the school year came to a close, summer was the only thing on his mind.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to be with his family. He wanted to be away from this school and its people. The teachers and his friends. He wanted to be away from the reminders of Pidge all over the place. Her stuff didn’t need to be there to ignite memories; anywhere he looked he saw _her_.

Hunk did his best to lighten his mood. He stayed with him, and for a while, roomed with him so he wasn’t alone. He couldn’t stay for long, but that was fine. Lance appreciated his snoring over the dull silence in the room. The distractions helped him stay out of his mind.

The last week, however, Hunk had to pack. He and his roommate had to clean up, and so did Lance, so he was alone. Alone, and left to think and wonder. For his mind to drive itself crazy with thoughts of Pidge.

He tried to stop thinking about her. He really did. He tried to be angry. He tried living and forgetting about her and moving on, but it didn’t work.

He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t livid or angry. He wasn’t anything other than upset.

He just missed her.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Lance knew he should have been mad. He shouldn’t have been so upset to lose someone like her. He should have moved on, because that would have made the last three months of his school year easier on him, but that hadn’t happened.

He just wanted to see her, but instead, he was finishing his packing.

His clothes were packed away. Posters he had on his walls folded up and tucked away safely in his suitcase. His toiletries were packed up in his backpack with the last of his school stuff. His laptop was with him, along with headphones and his phone to keep himself entertained on the long bus ride home. He figured he could surf the internet for something to keep him distracted, but he just wanted to sleep.

He just wanted to be home with his mom’s warm hugs and his father’s great cooking. For his brothers to tease him, and for his sisters to ask about this girl he had previously mentioned once or twice, or thirty times. He’d lost count.

Their room, _his room,_ looked horribly empty. There wasn’t a trace of who lived here for the past year, and next year, it’d be someone else living here.

That was if there was a next year.

Lance had heard about it. He’d seen principal Iverson leave the school with officers behind him, holding his hands bound in cuffs. He knew Pidge had done it, and he was so happy to know the truth had been revealed. That fifteen year old girl, who was sixteen now, had set out and done something no one ever thought possible, and he was so happy for her.

Now, however, the school was rushing for a new principal past all of the investigations. They assured parents that the next school year would start on time and with no problems hindering the children’s education, but the investigations were extensive. Nothing was being left unchecked.

Lance wasn’t sure how he felt about that either, but for now, his bus would take him home in an hour, and he could spend time with his family, and hopefully move on.

Why did that sound easier said than done?

Lance sighed as he plopped down on the bottom bunk, pulling her letter from his pocket. He knew it wasn’t healthy to keep it, much less keep it on himself to read at random intervals, but he didn’t care.

_“You just never knew how to leave me the hell alone, but I couldn’t be more grateful for that.”_

For once, Lance was grateful for his over-the-top obsessiveness with becoming her friend.

He sighed, a small, bitter smile on his lips. His eyes looked at the letter with a fondness in them that mimicked how he’d look at Pidge.

Who was he kidding? He missed her. He cared about her too much to forget.

_“That’s why I said see you later. This isn’t a goodbye. It’s a see you later, right?_

_Right?”_

He could hear the desperation written into that word. He would have agreed, but he couldn’t when she hadn’t even given him a way to talk to her.

Lance carefully folded her letter back up and put it in his pocket, tucked away safely to read again on the bus when a knock sounded at his door. He startled from his brooding thoughts, looking towards his door like it had done something to offend him before getting up to answer it.

There was a small piece of him that hoped it was Pidge. While everything in his body told him it was probably Hunk coming to say goodbye before his bus left, Lance hoped he’d open the door and have to look down to see those brown eyes peering up at him, but he didn’t.

Not Pidge. Not even Hunk.

“Uhh…”

Lance was no less than clueless as to why Keith was standing behind his door, staring with a bored expression, bags under his eyes, and his usual mullet a mess. He was wearing a jacket that looked too heavy for this type of heat, but the helmet under his arm suggested that he had been on a bike. Maybe a motorcycle.

He looked like the type of guy to drive one of those.

“Hey,” Keith greeted, looking unperturbed by Lance’s confusion.

“W-What are you doing here?” The brunet asked him, looking around as if he’d see some other person with him, or maybe even a camera crew getting ready to reveal a prank.

Keith didn’t verbally answer. Instead, the older teen reached for his jacket pocket, unzipping it and pulling out a small envelope. He held it out for him to take, but Lance only stared, looking at his name written on the front in familiar handwriting.

“It’s from Katie,” Keith said when Lance didn’t immediately connect the dots.

“F-From…?” Lance didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he took the envelope from him, his heart aching to think she’d written this herself.

“I was heading in this direction anyway, so she asked me to bring it by.” Keith explained, his shoulders shrugging lightly.

Lance’s hands shook as he slowly opened it, careful not to read anything too early. He wasn’t even sure he _wanted_ to read it, but Keith was standing there, and something told him he didn’t have a choice in the matter so long as Keith was around to watch him do it.

“ _ ~~Greetings Lance…~~_

_~~Greetings Lance? What am I even writing?~~ _

_Hi Lance. Uh, so… Hi._

_I have no idea what I’m doing. Uhm… I hope you’re doing well. It’s the end of the school year, right? I hope this gets to you in time, and that you haven’t left for home yet, but I bet you did awesome on your finals. You were so adamant about getting good grades, and I know you did. I’m sure your family is super proud of you._

_So uh… Yeah. I just… I have no idea what I’m even saying right now. Like always. I still suck with people. Especially you. You confuse me more than anyone else has ever confused me before._

_I still… Hope you can forgive me someday. If you have already? Or maybe you never will. I don’t blame you if you don’t. I just wanted to let you know… ~~I’m still thinking about you.~~ _

_I miss you. A lot. I’m kind of hoping you miss me too, but I get it if you don’t._

_I don’t know how to end this, so uhm… Yeah._

_Congrats on finishing off another year. I hope your summer with your family is awesome._

_-Katie”_

Lance stared longer than he needed to at the note, taking in everything, from her horrible handwriting to the way she wrote out Katie instead of Pidge at the end. His fingers tightened around the edges of the note, pulling on the paper and making indents. His eyes burned with tears he refused to shed, especially in front of Keith.

Most definitely not in front of Keith.

He looked away, looking up to the older teen for a few seconds, and then back to the note. He wasn’t sure what it was he wanted to say, if he had anything _to_ say.

After a minute of just dense quiet, Keith sighed, shifting his weight on the balls of his feet.

“Well, I’m gonna head out then.” He said, motioning down the hall with his thumb.

“Wait!” Lance exclaimed, stopping the teen as he turned away.

“What…?” Keith asked.

“I-I…” Lance stuttered, looking down at the letter as he heart beat picked up. “Just… Wait a minute. I want to write something.”

Lance hurried back into his room, quickly rummaging in his back pack for a notebook and pens. Anything he could use to write on.

“Alright…”

Keith’s confused remark went ignored as Lance sat at Pidge’s old desk, ripping out a paper to write on.

He stared at the blank space, his mind racing. He had so much to say, and yet nothing was coming to mind. Nothing that seemed appropriate.

What was he supposed to say? What did he _want_ to say?

That was a fully loaded question. He had a lot he wanted to say, and yet none of it seemed right.

Did he tell her he missed her too? That he still cared about her? Did he say that he was trying to move on like he knew he should have?

Should he take the advantage now and tell her that they needed to forget each other?

In hindsight, he didn’t want to do that. He cared about her too much to do that, but when, if ever, would they be able to see each other again?

They never got to talk about all of the challenges that would be faced with a long distance relationship. She hadn’t even bothered to give him a number to contact her with, so how could they possibly talk it over now?

That was too much to write down.

“So…?” Keith suddenly spoke up, prompting Lance to look over at him. “You gonna write something or what?”

“I… I don’t know what to say.” Lance replied honestly. Keith groaned, rolling his eyes as he walked over to him.

“Say hi?” He suggested, his arms crossing over his chest. “I don’t know. Reply to whatever she said in the letter.”

“You didn’t read it?”

“Why would I read someone else’s letter?” Keith deadpanned. “It’s addressed to _you_ from _her_ , so just answer her.”

“I don’t know how,” Lance ranted, motioning with his hands at the blank paper. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say that’s gonna make this all better!”

A quite, tense moment passed. For a second there, Lance thought Keith would stay quite too, but that wasn’t until he came up to the desk, leaning up against it and pushing his foot into the arm of the chair.

“You know, Lance. Pidge has two brothers.” He said, a stern, annoyed look on his face.

“She does?”

“Yeah, Matt,” He motioned to himself. “And _me_ , and as her brother, I have legal rights to kick your butt for dragging this out.”

“What am I supposed to say?” Lance snapped, pushing Keith’s foot off of the chair. “If you’ve got something better, then I’m all ears!”

“Tell her how you feel!” The older teen argued, tossing his arms out at his sides. “Tell her what it is you’ve been thinking about without her! Tell her that you miss her and that you want her back! Tell her _something,_ or break it off so that she can stop suffering!”

Keith kicked the chair Lance sat in, forcing it to roll back. Lance staggered in place, gripping at it hard so as not to fall out, but Keith stood in front of him, stepping at his toes each time Lance tried to keep himself balanced.

“If you end it, then both of you can move on. So do that so the both of you can move forward, or tell her how you feel and give both of yourselves hope that you’ll be together again.”

Keith kicked once more time, forcing Lance across the room and into the ladder of their bunk beds. Lance staggered, grabbing for the bed frame and steadying himself properly.

He sighed.

Keith was right. As annoying as that was, there were really only two options he had here beyond beating around the bush and prolonging all of this.

End it, or give hope.

Lance could look at the mental pros and cons list he had created eons ago about their relationship all he wanted, but he knew what it was he had to do.

Lance rolled his way back over the desk, ignoring the angry and irritated looks he got from Keith, Pidge’s (self-appointed, supposedly) big brother. He picked his pen up from the floor, and when it fell, he wasn’t sure, but he got right to work.

It took a couple of minutes, which was all he had before his bus came. Multiple times Lance crumpled up the paper and threw it away just to rip out a new one. Much in a Pidge-like fashion, for none of the balls of paper landed _in_ the trash can, just near it.

After a while, he finally finished. He wasn’t confident in the least by it, but it was enough. It was enough to get his point across, and with that being said, he folded it up, signed it on top like she had the letter for him, and handed it to Keith.

“Here,” He offered. “I know you’ll see her again soon, so… If you could give this to her, I’d appreciate it.

Keith’s eyes looked to and from his face and the paper before taking it. He hadn’t taken nearly as long to write whatever it was he wrote as Pidge did, so whatever it was, Keith could only assume it wasn’t in her favor.

“… Will do.” Keith took it, putting the small letter into his pocket, just as the previous one, and turning to leave.

“Hey, Keith…?” Lance called out, stopping him at the door. The older teen turned to look at him, regarding him with a blank expression. “Thanks, and… You know. Take care.”

To that, Keith couldn’t help but smile just a bit.

“You too.”

* * *

Kids jumped off of the bus at their stop, cheering for their summer freedom. They ran down the street, passing houses without a care as they cheered, and Pidge watched as they eventually disappeared.

She swung her legs slightly, rocking the bench back and forth in the air in the warm spring breeze. Her hair, currently tied back, blew around in the drift, even in her face, which she promptly pushed back behind her ear.

She let out a heavy sigh, leaning her head back to dangle over the bench. The breeze eventually stopped, and the swaying of the chair slowed. When it did, she kicked again, this time a little harder, and the pressure in her lap eased up.

She looked down, finding big, puppy eyes staring up at her. A wagging tail and a tongue hanging out and panting in the heat.

“Sorry, Bae Bae…” She apologized, rubbing the dogs’ head. “Didn’t mean to wake you up.”

The dogs’ head dropped back into her lap, a soft, gentle snore leaving him. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly, giving the dog a gentle scratch behind his ear as the front door opened.

“Hey Pidge…?”

She didn’t need to look to know it was her brother, but she did anyway, frowning at the sight of him standing there, a plate of fresh vanilla cake with a strawberry on top just for her in his hand.

He looked a whole lot better than the last time she saw him. He was well rested now, the bags under his eyes receding, and the color returning to his skin. He didn’t look like he was on deaths doorstep anymore.

It was surprising to actually see what sleep could do for a person.

“I told you never to call me that again.” Pidge muttered, turning away to look at the hanging plant not far from her.

“Sorry Katie…” Matt sat down beside her, making the bench rock a bit. “I just figured you’d like something sweet to eat.”

The brunette sighed, looking back at him and then down at the plate in his hands. It _did_ look really good.

“Thanks…” She mumbled before taking it from him. Bae Bae’s head lifted, his nose peeking over the edge of the plate to get a whiff of whatever it was she had. Something he hoped she’d throw on the floor for him.

“… How are you feeling?” Matt asked her, throwing his arm around her shoulders and resting against the back of the bench.

“Nothing’s changed, Matt.” She announced, her chest tightening.

“Oh Pidge. I know this sucks, but-”

“Stop saying that.” She interrupted him with a pointed glare, her fingers tightening around her fork like she was ready to stab him with it. “I told you I’m not Pidge. Pidge is just a selfish, horrible girl who I left behind when I came back home. She’s long gone, okay?”

Her little outburst did well to quell any previous arguments her brother had. Matt was at a loss as to what could possibly make her feel better at this point, beyond getting that boy she liked to come here and talk to her.

He knew he didn’t have all the details. There were holes in her story, and he figured it was best to just leave it up to his imagination. What he knew for certain, however, was her feelings for Lance.

She cared about him a lot. She looked at him as more than just a friend, and knowing her heart had been broken by some guy made him livid.

The problem was, though, that she had done it. She broke _his_ heart, and the guilt was eating her alive. She’d been quietly brooding alone for the better part of three months, refusing to talk about the subject to anyone and trying to move on, but she was failing.

Ever since Keith left with Shiro for their cross country road trip and she had given the teen her letter, she’d gotten even worse. She was preparing for the worst. She was one hundred percent certain that Lance was going to turn her down, and after seeing how upset she was, part of him wished that would happen so she could move on, but he knew they had to wait.

It killed him to know there was nothing he could do. He loved Pidge more than anyone in the world, and he was so accustomed to saving her. He was so used to being there for her when she needed it that not being able to do anything sucked big time.

Yet all they could do was let time pass. Time was the only thing that was going to heal this pain.

Unfortunately.

“Can I ask you something?” He asked her, leaning his head against his arm. Brassy eyes looked to him curiously, but didn’t really give him the green light to do so. He asked anyway. “You’re telling me that Pidge is still back at the school. Basically she’s not around anymore, right?”

Pidge nodded her head, pushing around the strawberry on her plate. She could feel the dog in her lap drooling through her jeans.

“So if that’s true, then why are you still punishing _yourself?”_

Pidge looked up, her eyes widening at his words. Matt’s expression didn’t change much besides his eyebrows lifting up, realizing he’d struck a chord within her.

That’s right. Pidge wasn’t gone. She was right here beside him, but she had spent so long disassociating herself from _Pidge Gunderson_ that she didn’t stop to realize that she was punishing _Katie_ all along. She was taking everything out on herself despite trying to move on.

“I see Katie sitting here, but I see Pidge too. I see a girl who was willing to give up everything to save her family. She was willing to risk everything if it meant completing her goal, but when the time came to risk it all…” Matt rubbed at the back of her head when he saw her eyes gloss over with fresh tears. He hadn’t seen her cry once since he picked her up from the school, and he knew there was a lot she had to get off of her chest. “You ended up giving it up to protect someone else.”

Pidge heaved, setting her plate down on her brother’s lap. She stood up abruptly, jostling the dog from her lap and making the swing shake. She would have gotten inside to run to her room had it not been for the loud thunder of an engine coming down the street.

She stopped just short of walking inside, holding the screen door open as the motorcycle pulled up in front of their house, haphazardly parking partly over the sidewalk and the other part in the street. Keith had never been one to learn how to park.

Said teen yanked his helmet off of his head, shaking his hair out before leaving his bike behind to greet them on the porch.

“Hey Keith,” Matt spoke first, smiling and waving his hand despite the previous tension.

“Hey guys,” He said, leaning against the support of the railing.

“How was your trip?” The brunet asked him, leaning forward so his feet could swing the bench back and forth. Bae Bae decided now was the time to jump down, greeting Keith with a quick sniff of his jeans.

“Great. We spent so much time at Antelope Canyon that Shiro was beginning to wonder where all of the antelope were.” The teen told him, earning a laugh from the other man.

“Of course he’d make a joke like that.” Matt rolled his eyes.

“We even got to stay at Sequoia National Park. That place is huge.”

“I hope you got pictures.” Matt told him. 

“Of course I did.” Keith assured, his eyes falling to Pidge. “How are you?”

“I’m fine…” She lied, playing with the loose wires on the screen door.

Keith nodded slowly, debating if he should really give her Lance’s letter. He didn’t want her heart broken again, but whatever was written inside would be good for her, for the both of them, and she needed to see it.

Keith reached into his backpack and rummaged for it, eventually finding it stuck between some books. He’d put it there to keep it safe while he and Shiro traveled.

“Here,” He said, holding it out for her. Pidge regarded him with moue of confusion, staring down at the letter in his hands. “It’s from Lance.”

Her heart dropped at his words, her eyes widening as she stared at the paper. She couldn’t see much, but she could barely make out her name written on the back of it.

So Keith really had gone to visit him. She had hoped he would, but there was a part of her that also hoped that he wouldn’t have gone in the direction of the school anyway. She hoped Lance wasn’t at the school by the time he got there. She hoped they’d never meet, but the universe just hated her.

As always.

“O-Oh…” She sounded, letting herself back outside to take the letter from him.

Her name was written in soft letters, handwriting so neat she wondered when Lance found the time to make it so precise, and it was just her name. Whatever was inside the letter, be it good or bad, she figured it’d look just about the same.

“… Do you want to read it?” Matt asked her, cautious as he read the emotions running through her eyes.

“No, I…” She hesitated in answering before turning to go back inside. “I need to be alone right now.”

* * *

Pidge stayed up in her room for two days. She hadn’t bothered to leave, and if it wasn’t for her brother bringing up her meals, she wouldn’t have eaten either. Maybe eventually, but she didn’t go down to the table to have dinner with her family.

The letter sat on her desk, leaning against her lamp. It was mocking her, toying with her. She refused to read it, but the writing on the front had her curiosity aching.

She’d reach for it. She’d unfold it a bit, but then close it and leave it, only to come back in a few minutes and look at it again.

She was torturing herself with this. Whatever was written inside was going to be an end to all of this pain and suffering she was putting herself through. Even if Lance told her never to talk to him again, maybe even wish he had never met her, she could at least go on in life knowing she hadn’t jeopardized his future any further than she could have by dragging him any farther on this so called _adventure_.

So wouldn’t it make sense to just read it?

Pidge hesitated. She stepped forward. Stepped back. Walked around in a circle while hugging her plush mermaid to her chest, and then tossing it away when she felt stupid for hugging it in the first place.

Eventually, she couldn’t take the agonizing wait.

It was late. She could hear her family downstairs having dinner. A nice dinner that they could afford now that the Garrison had rehired her father and Matt. She was pretty sure Shiro and Keith were downstairs too, enjoying time with family, even when they weren’t related to them. They were close enough.

She picked up the letter, her hands shaking, and her eyes already welling up with tears. Her mind was building up walls, preparing itself for the onslaught of harsh words and criticism.

She played with the edges of the paper, pulling it centimeter by tiny centimeter. Each inch of paper revealed had her heart racing even more. She felt like the organ was trying to break her ribcage and fly away.

Nothing jumped out at her right away, but when she saw Lance’s name appear little by little, she took in a shuddering breath and forced the whole paper open.

The air in her lungs froze, her breath in her throat at the action as the words were there, right in her face. She couldn’t help but read over them, taking in Lance’s clean penmanship.

Then she read over them again, and again, and one more time as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Pidge collapsed on her bed, staring at the letter with wide eyes, the walls she built up crashing down around her. All of the boarders and barriers she’d kept up to protect herself fell as tears dripped off of her chin.

She couldn’t stop crying, but she didn’t feel like she wanted to. Even as she wiped at her eyes and nose, feeling her cheeks flush with the exertion of crying, she couldn’t stop.

She didn’t even hear the small, timid knock on her door. Not until Matt walked in, holding a plate of freshly roasted chicken and baked, buttered bread.

“Katie…?” He called out, but the moment he saw her sitting on her bed, a tear-stained mess as she read the letter, his timid behavior to not step on her toes fell apart, replaced with his big brother instincts to protect her. “What’s wrong?” He came to sit right next to her, setting down her food in order to wrap an arm around her shoulders. Pidge fell right against his chest, crying even harder now that he was here. “What’d he say? Do I have to go find him and kick his ass?”

“No, no!” Pidge laughed gently, and it was only now that Matt saw the big grin on her lips. The way her cheeks split apart with how hard she was smiling. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He… He said everything right.”

Matt couldn’t figure out what she meant by that, nor could his brain wrap around the idea of her smiling and laughing despite how hard her tears were coming.

So he looked down at the letter in her hands, hoping that maybe just a small peek would help clear some of this up. He didn’t need to read all of it. Just a little bit would answer some of his questions, but upon looking, he found that there wasn’t much written on the paper. Just a few short words that were quick to read.

_“Dear Pidge;_

_I love you._

_-Lance”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter coming up~


	24. Never Letting Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies, gentlemen, nonbinaries and absolutely incredible people, welcome to the last chapter. This one is the most important, so please let me know what you think. Reviews are always appreciated. ;)  
> -Misty

Lance was a silly mess of anxiety, a beating heart, and sweaty palms. He knew he shouldn’t have felt like this. It was ridiculous, because today was supposed to be fun. He was graduating high school after all, and all he could feel was an anxious buzz running through his veins.

Or maybe that was just the light breeze on this clear spring day. He wasn’t sure. Summer was just around the corner, but he hadn’t even thought about summer when all he could think about was if he looked good in his graduation robes. His family would want pictures after all.

Lance sighed as he looked himself over in the mirror, messing with the tassel in his face and pushing it from one side to the other. He’d be doing that soon during the ceremony, but he couldn’t get himself to the level of excitement he felt he needed to be at, and he kind of knew why.

It was spring, and this time of year always made him think of Pidge.

He hated that he let her have so much control over him, but he couldn’t help but wonder how she was. _Where_ she was. If she was doing alright, and if she was thinking about him right now, if at all.

It had been two years since he last talked to her, but he still felt like everything had happened yesterday. Two years of grueling school work, learning how to drive, going to prom (Hunk was oh so kind enough to be his date), and living life to the fullest. The life he once imagined her being with every step of the way.

He missed her, and there was no denying that.

Lance startled from his thoughts at the sound and the sensation of his phone buzzing in his pocket. He had to lift his gown to get it out, reading the text flashing across his screen.

_3:23 p.m._

_Unknown_

_“Lance, what time is your graduation ceremony?”_

The teen frowned, staring at the number and wondering who that could have been. It wasn’t a number he recognized, nor was it anything in the nearby area by the area code.

_“Five, but who is this? Your number isn’t listed on my phone.”_

Lance waited for a few minutes, but no immediate response quickly left him bored. He left to check over his robes again, only to be interrupted again by a knock on his door.

“Come in,” He called out, fixing his hat to stay straight on his head.

In came a bounding Hunk, excitement so profound it was almost startling. Lance didn’t even have the time to properly prepare himself for it before the bigger teen wrapped him up in his arms and spun around.

“We’re graduating today!” Hunk cheered, bouncing around with Lance in his arms.

“H-Hunk! You’re m-making me dizzy!” Lance exclaimed through a strained breath and a spinning room.

Hunk finally let him down, putting a hand on his shoulder to steady him when Lance looked ready to fall over.

“Sorry Lance. I’m just excited,” Hunk explained, watching the dizziness dissipate from the brunet’s expression. “But can you blame me? We’re graduating! We’ve finished high school! We can move on to college and living on our own! We’re full fledged adults now!” He said it with so much pride.

“One thing at a time, buddy. Let’s at least get accepted into another school before we start planning out the rest of our lives.” Lance said, pressing a hand into his shoulder.

“Oh come on. Lance, with your grades this year and last, I’m just waiting for you to get your acceptance letter from the Galaxy Garrison.” Hunk reminded him, standing up straight and tall, his hands resting on his hips.”

“I’m not getting my hopes up.”

“Why not?” Hunk asked him with a deep frown.

“You never know Hunk. That place is for brainiac’s, and I’m… Well, me.” Lance’s shoulder’s shrugged, trying to push his hands into his pockets, only for the robes to get in the way.

“Come on, man. Don’t do that to yourself.” The bigger teen berated. “You did really well. You worked hard for this, and if not now, then when?”

“Well if not now then never, cause mama will kill me.”

The teens shared a laugh, letting it echo in the otherwise empty room. Lance had packed up most of his stuff, but some of it was still left out until he left during the weekend. His family would take the bigger things back with them after the ceremony, and he’d come home just a few days later.

That meant he’d be stuck at this empty dorm room until Friday, unless Hunk was cool with sharing the floor space in his own room.

“Come on. We’ve got to get ready for our big walk.” Hunk reminded him, holding up his phone to show Lance the time.

“Yeah. Let’s go get some graduating done.”

* * *

_“Imagine the school as a basketball team. You’ve got your point guard, your shooting guard, your center, your power forward, and so on, but everyone has something to contribute. Everyone has something they add to the team, and as a team, we all worked hard at bringing each other together to get one step closer to where we are today.”_

“I’m six feet in my grave if this speech lasts any longer.” Hunk whispered, leaning over just the slightest to make sure Lance heard him, and he did. Lance covered his mouth to hide the snickering.

Oh no. Not the giggles. If Hunk got him going, Lance didn’t know what he’d do. He’d _definitely_ start laughing, and then nothing would stop the whole stadium from throwing things at them. Mainly him, since it was him laughing.

“Shut up, Hunk.” He warned, clearing his throat quietly to cover up his giggles.

“Imagine this were our funeral. Now everyone had something to contribute to it. It was a team effort.”

“Oh my god.” Lance ducked his head down, trying desperately to think of things that weren’t funny to stop himself from barking out a laugh. Kicked puppies, stray kittens with those big eyes, hurricanes, etc. _Anything_ , so long as it meant he’d keep himself in check.

* * *

Despite how he was feeling earlier, Lance was feeling pretty good about himself. At least now that he had his diploma in his hands. All those years of work finally paid off, and he could show it off proudly.

“Congratulations!” Rachel cheered, throwing her arms around her brother. Lance was barely able to reciprocate it when he had his niece and nephew hanging off of his legs.

“Thanks sis,” He said, feeling an overwhelming sense of pressure lifted off of his shoulders.

“We’re so proud of you, Lance.” Marco told him, thwacking him on the back a bit too hard. He went stumbling forward with Rachel in his arms, and truthfully, had it not been for the children on his legs, he probably would have fallen over.

“Never thought you’d do it,” Luis added on.

“Oh come on, guys,” The brunet whined, rubbing the back of his neck. His family could be encouraging, embarrassing, and degrading all in one go, and he was wondering how they could have done that.

“Stop teasing him,” His mother chided, wrapping her arms around his waist for a hug. Lance had to bend down just to hug her properly. “I’m so proud of you, mijo.”

“Thanks mama.” Lance felt like the pressure really had lifted off of his shoulders. All of the hard work had paid off, and he could finally breathe knowing he’d done his mother proud.

That was only for a few seconds, however.

Lance saw a glimpse of the auditorium they now stood in. The room filled with people, students, teachers, and families alike, but something caught his attention. A flicker of familiarity out of the corner of his eyes.

He watched as someone moved out of the way, letting him see what it was he’d seen just seconds before, and now he was doing a double take.

Lance wasn’t sure what he would think the day he got to see Pidge again. What he’d say or do was a mystery to him despite the many time he’d practiced it in his head, but this wasn’t at all how he pictured it, or her.

Pidge, standing not far off, with her hair down to her shoulders, curling and framing her face, but there were still some spots that had never been tamed. The same big, brassy eyes that stared at him through rounded spectacles that had never fit her face.

Her choice of clothing was something Lance had never seen her in. Having to disguise herself as a guy meant giving Lance very little leeway to see what she’d look like outside of the school, but she almost didn’t look like herself in the pale yellow, thinly cut top over the soft blue, knee length spring dress she wore.

She looked so different. She looked like a girl, but still so the same, and it took Lance’s breath away to see her after two years.

“… Mijo?” His mother asked, noticing the way he stiffened up against her, his arms seemingly locked around her. “What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing, I…” Lance looked down to her, and then back up to Pidge. The smaller teen offered up a timid, nervous wave. “I’ll be right back.”

He left his entire family behind, clueless to his odd behavior as he fought through the sea of people to get to her.

Each step seemed like a lifetime of waiting, and honestly, Lance didn’t think he could move fast enough, and yet part of him wanted to slow down. Figure out what it was he had to say, if anything. They had left it off so abruptly, and two years of separation brought a lot of change. Change that may not have been for the better.

Did she even care for him anymore? Lance knew for certain he still had feelings for her, but what if she didn’t? What if his confession went too fast for her, and she decided it was time to move on?

That was the thing that made him slow in his steps, but by the time he stood in front of her, looking down at her small form (admittedly, she’d grown a few inches. His neck didn’t strain as much to look at her now), there was no time left to think.

“… Pidge…?” He asked, as if blind to the obviousness that the girl standing in front of him was indeed her.

“… Hi, Lance,” She replied, her smile small and weak. He could see the way her shoulders rose and fell with her anxious breathing.

“What… What are you doing here?” He questioned, but the only answer that could come to his mind was _why did it matter?_ She was here now, wasn’t she?

“… I had to come congratulate you in person.” She answered, shrugging lightly. Her eyes could barely meet his, too fearful to see his reaction.

“That was you that texted me earlier, wasn’t it?” He asked, feeling an overwhelming sense of happiness bubbling in his chest.

“I had to make sure I didn’t miss this.” She assured him. “A-And I know you have a lot to say, but can I just… Say something first?”

Lance just stared. He wasn’t expecting to have any sort of conversation like this out in public, in an auditorium filled with hundreds of people. This was not at all how he planned any of this to go, but there was no changing what was happening anymore. He could only go with the flow and see what would happen next.

So when he didn’t give her a verbal answer, Pidge decided it was time for her to get it out there.

“Lance, I… I know… I screwed up so bad…” Pidge’s hands fiddled with the ends of her thin sweater, tugging on the seams so hard Lance thought they would rip. “I can’t ever apologize to you enough… Or thank you enough for all that you did for me.”

“Pidge-”

“Wait, I have to say this first.” She stopped him short, barely looking up at him. “God, I just… I kept making mistakes left and right, and please believe me when I say that I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t want to hurt anyone besides Iverson for what happened to my family, but then you just wormed your way into my life, and I…”

Pidge rubbed at her eyes, feeling tears burn at the back of them. She hadn’t given herself the opportunity to get this off of her chest in years. The amount of times she swore she’d go see Lance and then backing out were more than one could count on their hands. The scenarios she made in her head, the hypotheses’ she had concluded for both good and bad outcomes. All of it was riding down to this final moment, and despite the amount of time she had spent preparing for it, it wasn’t enough.

“I just care about you so much. I never wanted to hurt you, but I was so afraid that if something went wrong, everything you were hoping to achieve in life would just disappear, and I couldn’t do that to you. I couldn’t do it to Hunk. I couldn’t take your futures away from you.”

Everything she was saying was just about the same as what she wrote in her first letter to him. It was almost impressive, if not horribly scary, that she had carried this weight on her shoulders for two years, and now she was finally letting it go.

At least in person.

“C-Cause I never got to say thank you the way I wanted to, or apologize for what I did. There’s just no way I can now! I’ve done so much and I can’t ever make it up to you-”

“Pidge-”

“So I know that i-if you never want to see me again, I understand, but I just had to see you one more time…”

“Pidge.”

“B-Because the truth is, is that I love you too, and I hate myself for never telling you that before I left, and I must be an idiot, because it’s been so long, so you probably don’t care about me like that anym-!”

Pidge was cut off, the wind knocked out of her chest when Lance wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her from the ground in a hug so tight she could barely breathe. She wasn’t sure if she remembered how.

Diploma long since forgotten about and now on the ground a few feet away, Lance’s cap on the floor at his feet, his only concern was that she’d wiggle away from him.

Pidge faltered, lost between hugging him back, kissing him all over his stupidly cute face, or pushing away, because seriously. What was he doing? Why was he hugging her?

The teen pushed into his shoulders, separating them just enough so she could look at his face, but he didn’t put her down.

“W-What are you doing?” She asked, and despite the situation, she felt her cheeks flush with the closeness of their faces. “You shouldn’t be hugging me! Y-You should be mad at me! You should angry! You should be disgusted that I’m even here right now!”

Lance didn’t respond. He only stared as if she confused him, and maybe she did.

“Go on! Yell, scream! Say _something!_ ” The little kick with her feet was to silently tell him to put her down, but he didn’t.

“… I missed you.”

Lance’s words did so many things to her all at once. They melted her heart, broke down her mental barrier, shattered every forged expectation she had, and let the dam flow.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at him, wide eyed and confused by his words. He was supposed to be mad at her. He was supposed to be livid, so why was he saying things like that and getting her hopes up?

Lance’s smile, so tender and loving, only sunk her further into the comfortable familiar sensation of being in his arms. Somehow with one arm still wrapped around her, Lance used his right hand to brush her bangs behind her face and tuck them behind her ear.

“… W-What are you doing to me, Lance?” She asked, fighting back any last shred of self composure she had left in her. “Y-You’re supposed to be mad at me…”

“I forgave you years ago.” He told her, and despite himself, started rocking lightly in place. They never had finished their dance, he realized. “I kind of thought my confession made that clear, but I guess not.”

Pidge couldn’t help but giggle past her small hiccups and sobs. Her smile was big and stretched from ear to ear while her she rubbed at her flushed, damp cheeks to clean herself up.

“I-I’m really dense about people. I thought I told you t-that.” She uttered, choking up on her words.

“I’m kind of dense too. It’s okay.” He assured, and Pidge dropped her head down on his shoulder, finally wrapping her arms around him.

“I-I missed you so much…” She whimpered into his gown, feeling guilty she was staining it with her tears.

“I missed you too, Pidge.”

They were oblivious to the world around them. Lance couldn’t give a damn about the people who saw them swaying to absolutely no music, with Pidge’s tear stained face pressed into his neck with a smile so big it hurt her cheeks, because, as he once said before, none of these people would be around, nor remember any of what was happening years from now. He didn’t care what anyone saw or thought.

So it only led him to slowly setting her down on solid ground again, but he didn’t let her go. Pidge looked up at him curiously, her cheeks so red he wondered if maybe she was blushing too. It was cute, just as she always had been, even as she had grown. He could see some of the roundness in her cheeks was gone, and her features were more pronounced than they once had been.

It was still her though. Still Pidge Gunderson. Still Katie Holt, and still someone he was so madly in love with.

Lance curled his fingers around her ear, brushing her bangs away again. He leaned forward, feeling her stuttering breath on his lips for only a moment before someone clearing their throat caught their attention.

Lance looked up, jumping in surprise when his entire family stood right behind them, Luis and Rachel looking as smug as can be while Veronica had her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk on her lips. His niece and nephew were gagging at the sight of them.

“O-Oh!” Pidge jumped back, covering her mouth and turning away to hide herself from them. 

“So uh…” Luis began, and Lance immediately saw where this was going. “Who’s your little friend their, Lance?”

“T-This is Pidge,” Lance introduced, and suddenly it was like a lightbulb went off in everyone’s heads. Pidge was more or less surprised to see his whole family warm towards the two of them, but more specifically her. The way his niece and nephew grabbed her legs and tugged on her dress while Veronica and Rachel got to their close inspection of her.

“Ohh, so this is Pidge.” Lance’s father said.

“Interesting. Not your typical cut of meat I’d say.” Marco had concluded, and Lance flushed.

“Marco! Shut up!”

“I’m just saying!” The older man defended himself. “You usually go for the tall, voluptuous woman, you know? The ones you have no chance with.”

Lance’s siblings laughed at his embarrassment while their mother quietly reprimanded them. Pidge internally screamed.

That had been a… Compliment? Maybe?

“You have beautiful skin.” Rachel admired, coming too close for comfort towards the smaller teen.

“Uh, t-thanks?” She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. No one had ever complimented her skin before, much less came this close to her to inspect it.

“Yes, but you look like you have a couple of years left to finish school.” Veronica mentioned, an analytical look on her features. “What are you plans when you finish?”

“Oh, uh…” Pidge flushed, stepping back into Lance’s chest to get out of their close range. Lance’s niece clung to her leg regardless. “I’m studying to get into the Galaxy Garrison actually. I skipped a grade recently, but I’m hoping to be a communications officer like my brother, Matt.”

“Wait.” Luis stopped her, holding up his hands. “Matt _Holt?_ Like as in _the Holt’s_ Matt Holt?”

“Yeah…?” She replied, on guard.

“So your dad is Sam Holt then? And your mom is Colleen?”

“Yeah…”

Her families’ reputation never failed to amaze Lance.

“Ohh…” He mumbled. “So you’re like… _That kind of smart,_ aren’t you?” Luis looked slightly disinterested, but Lance could tell he was actually impressed, if not confused by her achievements.

“Quick! Nine thousand nine hundred and eighty seven divided by eight!” Marco challenged.

“One thousand two hundred and forty-right point three seven five.” She said without a moment of hesitation. There was a pause from the whole family, one of which Lance felt proud of.

“Yeah, she’s that kind of smart.” Luis said in that lack luster tone.

“I approve.” Veronica said, slowly nodding. “When’s the wedding then?”

“Veronica!” Lance barked, feeling his cheeks flush to unhealthy levels.

“Alright everyone, that’s enough.” His mother thankfully interrupted. “Lance, why don’t we get a proper introduction?”

“Oh right. Well uh, Pidge. This is my family.” Lance said, motioning to the whole group of people. “This is Veronica and Rachel, my sisters. These are my brothers Marco and Luis, and my nephew and niece.”

The two children waved at Pidge with toothy grins while the little girl waddled towards her family again.

“So this is the infamous Pidge.” Marco said, slinking over towards the two of them to throw an arm around the smaller teens’ shoulders. “Lemme ask you something. What’s a cutie like _you_ doing with a guy like _him_? Especially when you can be with a guy like me?”

“… Oh, so you’re where Lance gets it from.” Pidge muttered, and with how deadpan her expression was, it could have come across as an insult.

However, it didn’t. Marco barked out a laugh so hard that his head tilted back, his eyes tearing up with the humor. Even Lance’s family had joined in on the laughter, but Lance was too busy covering his face, hiding his red cheeks.

“My god, stop it Marco.”

“She’s a gem, Lance!” The older man said, smacking his arm. “Do yourself a favor and find someone better, Pidge. You can do better than him.”

“Marco!” Lance smacked him back, but recoiled with fear when his mother called out his name. She talked too fast for Pidge to understand or take in whatever it was she spoke in Spanish, but Lance’s head dropped, followed by a small apology. That much she recognized. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Pidge.” His mother addressed, reaching out a hand for her to shake. “Lance talks about you all of the time.”

“It’s nice to meet you too…” Pidge tried her hardest to seem confident when it came to shaking her hand, but meeting the family of someone she cared about so much was horrifying.

Lance wasn’t used to this timid girl. This girl of blushes and soft smiles, of eyes looking away from fear she’d somehow insult someone. First impressions with a family were the hardest.

“Uh, Pidge,” He said, resting a hand on her back. “This is my grandma.” He told her, motioning to the woman in the wheelchair. A woman Veronica pushed towards them. “Abuelita, este es mi amiga, Pidge.”

It was weird hearing Lance talk in Spanish. She knew he spoke it, but he had never said a word of it around her. Now, as she looked to his family, she could see why.

They all seemed to speak English, though she came to the conclusion they knew Spanish. His mother was native, and his grandmother must not have spoken a lot of English. At least that was what she could come away with.

The older woman was a small thing with white, thin hair to her shoulders. She even shook a bit in her chair, especially when she reached up and waved a hand at Pidge.

The brunette stepped forward, ready to introduce herself to the best of her abilities when the woman grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and yanked her down.

Pidge yipped as she came face to face with the woman, flushing at the too close inspection as Lane’s grandmother studied her. She looked her over from head to toe, staring deep into her eyes (Lance got his blue eyes from her side of the family it seemed), and then touching her hair.

Pidge wasn’t really sure what to do with this kind of physical contact, only having know her families touch, and only recently Lance’s, but this was his grandmother. She was afraid to speak out against the contact and be rude.

Maybe this was something they did in Cuba? She couldn’t be too sure.

“… Tu vas a darme hermosos nietos.” She finally spoke, her words shaking with her old age.

“Abeulita!” Lance cried out, face flushed from ears to neck as the rest of his family broke out into laughter.

That was it. He’d had enough family introductions for one day.

Lance grabbed Pidge’s arm and pulled her away, leading her through the thick crowd to find a safe space to stand. There wasn’t really much in the auditorium, but wherever they went was far enough away from his family so they would stop interrogating her, and subsequently embarrass him into an early grave.

“… So we’re going to have beautiful kids, huh?” Pidge asked, and Lance’s steps came to a screeching halt. He could practically hear the record stop when he did.

“What?” He turned to her and asked. “You speak Spanish?”

“Italian and Spanish have a similar verbal and grammatical structure.” She offered, shrugging lightly.

Lance wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed by her understanding of what his grandmother had said, amazed that she spoke Italian (there was still a lot they had to learn about each other), or mystified by how cute she looked still blushing from her encounter with his family.

To be fair, it could have been worse, but she had their approval, and despite how it seemed, it was hard to get anyone new into their family. Marco’s current wife was an outcast from everyone besides Lance and Rachel for two years before she was accepted into the family.

Pidge had made a leap larger than life in that aspect.

“You’re amazing…” He muttered his thoughts out loud, but Pidge smiled and giggled anyway.

“I’m glad to know it’s not just you who thinks that.” She looked to the floor, kicking her foot. “So maybe… Could we try that kiss again?”

She didn’t even have to ask, but it did add to how cute she was.

Lance pulled her against his body by her waist, his hand high up while the other tilted her chin up to face him better. Her eyes were gleaming with excitement, and maybe even a little bit of mischief, which was fine by him. All he wanted was a kiss, and he didn’t care how it happened, so long as it did.

Unfortunately, it felt like it never would.

Lance felt a sharp smack to the back of his head before their lips met, followed by the sting of their foreheads knocking together. He whined at the pain while Pidge backed up, rubbing at her forehead, but even that was short lived.

“I did not come here to see you swap spit with my baby sister!”

That voice was all too familiar, and while comforting to hear, it also made Lance shrink in fear.

“Matt!” Pidge bit out, crossing her arms over her chest. Lance carefully tucked himself behind her to hide from her older brother, who had changed rather drastically in the two years they had seen each other. Matt’s hair had gotten long, pulled back from his face in a low pony tail, showing off prominent cheek bones and a light scar across his cheek. He even seemed to have grown another foot since they had last seen each other. “I’m seventeen years old! I can kiss him if I want!”

“La la la! I’m not listening, Pidge!” Matt covered his ears with his hands and the graduation guide, turning himself away to prove his point.

“Matt, stop it.”

That voice was new.

Lance saw Keith walk up behind Matt, struggling to stand straight with people not paying attention to where they were going. Standing right next to him, however, was man of impressive height and built. A man who was probably a little bit older than Matt, with a prosthetic arm made of technology only the Garrison could provide. A man with the sides of his head saved, black hair, and a tuff of his bangs completely white in the front.

A man Lance had never met, but a man he had wanted to meet since he had first heard of him five years ago. A man who was his hero, and inspired him to want to apply for the Galaxy Garrison in the first place, because the only way he was going to get into space to fly a crew of his own was to start there.

Takashi Shirogane.

Lance’s biggest idol.

“Why are you coming for me today, Shiro?” Matt asked, his hands falling to his hips.

“Because they’re kids,” The older man reminded him, motioning to the two of them. Lance felt his knees wobble when Shiro looked at him. “Let them be.”

Matt outright groaned, his arms crossing over his chest in a childish act. One of which had Keith chuckling from beside Shiro, covering his mouth to hide it.

Lance had never seen Keith laugh let alone smile. It was a bit disturbing, but Pidge and the others didn’t seem in the least bit perturbed by it.

“Lance,” Pidge said, taking his hand in hers. “This is our friend Takashi Shirogane.”

“Please, call me Shiro.” The man said, holding out his hand, the prosthetic, for Lance to shake. The teen hesitated for only a moment, both in awe and worried before doing so.

“I-It’s nice to meet you,” Lance said, knowing he probably looked like the equivalent to a tomato. “I’m a huge fan of your work, especially the Kerberos mission. You’re one of the only humans to make it that far out. You’re the reason I want to go to the Galaxy Garrison in the first place.”

He was rambling. He knew it, and yet he couldn’t stop.

“You know, I’m one of the people from that mission too. You don’t see him sweating bullets for me.” Matt mumbled, more for Keith’s ears than the others, but they all heard it anyway.

“Could have something to do with you threatening him every chance you get.” Keith reminded.

“Useless facts…”

“And yet you’re still bitter,” A new voice said. Something from right behind him.

Lance turned around, mentally trying to place the voice to the face, because he definitely recognized the voice, but he most certainly wasn’t expecting Iverson of all people to be standing behind him.

The sight of the taller man, standing only a foot behind him with his arms behind his back like he had once before was more or less frightening.

“P-Principal Iverson!” Lance exclaimed, quickly pushing Pidge behind himself.

He had to protect her. Iverson couldn’t see her looking like a girl. He couldn’t let Iverson see-

“Lance, it’s okay.” Pidge assured him, stepping out in full view, taking Lance’s hand in her own.

“Pidge, w-what-?”

“He knows,” She told him, her fingers tightening around his. “He _knew…”_

“What…?” Lance looked back to the older man who stared down at them with a smile he wasn’t used to seeing. “H-How?”

“I’m missing an eye. I’m not _completely_ blind.” Iverson remarked.

“Lance, he knew about me the whole time.” Pidge explained slowly, a thoughtful look on her face. “He was protecting me, because he wanted the truth out there. My dad told him he couldn’t come out to the world with it, because it would risk his job too, and at the time, Iverson has a newborn baby. Dad was protecting them.”

“So…” Lance was trying his hardest to connect the pieces as quickly as possible. “That’s why he never said anything when your mom talked to him?”

“Colleen was fully aware of where she was. She just didn’t know that it was an all-boys school.” Iverson told him. “She asked me to look after her when she enrolled herself, but I was quite surprised when I saw what she was trying to get away with.”

“You knew?” For some reason, the words just made sense to him. “And you didn’t tell her?”

“I figured it wouldn’t have taken her that long.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Pidge grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Did you really think I didn’t know you were hiding under my desk?”

“I got it!” She yipped.

“So Lance,” Shiro cut off their small conversation before Pidge got too carried away. “Pidge talks about you quite a lot. In fact, when she mentioned you, I remembered seeing your name go through our recent candidates list.”

“O-Oh…?” Lance felt his chest tighten up at the mention.

“Yes. I figured it’d be better if I just delivered this in person.” Shiro tugged a small envelope out of his pocket, holding it out for Lance to look out.

The small, white envelope would have been mistaken for any other junk mail had it not been for the Garrison seal on the front, along with Lance’s name and address.

He hesitated, looking up to Shiro and back down at the letter.

Was this a rejection letter? Or an acceptance letter?

“Go on,” Pidge encouraged him, bumping her elbow into his side.

“Y-You didn’t have anything to do with this, right?” He asked, because he knew she’d go that far.

“Nope,” She assured, popping her word with her lips. “I just told Shiro who you were. I have nothing to do with whatever is in that letter.”

Somehow, that didn’t make him feel any better. If anything, it only made it worse.

Lance took the letter with great reluctance, his fingers shaking as he held it. He read over the printed writing of his name and address, then the Galaxy Garrison logo. It was probably the most horrifying image he had ever seen in his life, and Lance liked himself a horror movie or two.

He opened it slowly, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, blood rushing through his veins. His legs felt kind of numb too as he opened it up, reading the letter imprinted on the paper slowly, carefully, so as to not make any mistakes.

Then he read over them again, and again. Pidge was starting to get worried.

“… I got in.” Lance mumbled, his lips spreading into a smile. The rush of adrenaline crashed immediately as Pidge jumped up with a cheer, her fist in the air and pumping.

“I knew you could do it!”

Pidge tugged on his arm, and her excitement was infectious.

Lance picked her up and held on as he started jumping around, cheering at his achievements with her hanging on like a little koala. He held on just as tight, tears beading at the corners of his eyes.

All of that hard work really did pay off, and now he could go through his summer without having to wait and find out if it had. His family would be so happy to hear the news.

“I got in! I got in the Galaxy Garrison!” Lance cheered, and she cheered with him, her hands holding tight, even as he left her down.

“I knew you would!” Pidge assured him, running her fingers through his hair when most of it had fallen into his face. His hair had gotten longer since she had last scene him, he he made it a point to keep it out of his eyes at all times. “I’m so proud of you, Lance…”

The brunet wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of her and taking in her natural earthy smell. His heart was racing, and he wondered if she could hear it pressed up against his chest like this.

He looked up, finding happy smiles and excitement (surprisingly more from Keith) at the news.

“Thank you,” Lance said, lifting his head to address Shiro directly. “Thank you so much, Shiro. I promise you won’t regret this.”

“I have a feeling I won’t,” The older man assured him.

Hearing that just about sent Lance over the moon and back, pulling away to look at the letter in his hands, now crumbled up from their cheering.

_“Congratulations! On behalf of the Galaxy Garrison, I am pleased to announce your admission into our program this fall.”_

The words were ringing in his head, as if someone told him it right to his face. Oddly enough, the words sounded like Pidge.

“Oh wait!” Lance grabbed Pidge’s hand and quickly tugged here away, once again trekking through the sea of people.

“Lance, where are we going?” Pidge asked, offering a small wave to her family as they disappeared from sight.

Lance didn’t answer, instead tugging her around as he walked in all sorts of directions, as if looking for something.

It only took a couple of minutes, and Pidge didn’t mind holding his hand (she’d never complain about that), before he seemed to find what he was looking for.

“Hunk!” Lance called out, and upon further inspection, Pidge could see said teen standing not far away, talking with a few other students while he waved his diploma around excitably. Hunk turned at the call of his name, waving a hand at him, not seeing Pidge at his side. “I got into the Galaxy Garrison!”

“You did?” Hunk ran over, tripping over his gown a few times, but that might have been excitement still. “Congratulations!”

“And look who’s here!” Lance pointed down to Pidge, showing off her position next to him like she was his most prized achievement.

“Pidge?” Hunk gaped at her, awestruck by the sight of her.

“H-Hey Hun-!”

The bigger teen picked her up in much the same manner Lance had, but a whole lot quick. She felt like she had whiplash from how fast he did it, and with Hunk’s strength, she really _couldn’t breathe._

“I can’t believe it’s you!” He exclaimed, rocking her back and forth quickly, but stopped just short of breaking her in half. “Oh wait.” He stopped just as quickly and set her down. “I’m still mad at you,” And just like that, Hunk turned his back to her, his hands crossing over his chest and pouting.

Pidge’s shoulder’s dropped, her expression falling short of a smile when he said it. She looked down at the floor, hugging her arm against her chest in defeat.

“I-I’m sorry, Hunk…” She apologized, her words catching in her throat when the sensation of fresh tears burned her eyes. “I know what I did was wrong, but I didn’t want to jeopardize your or Lance’s futures. I couldn’t risk getting you guys into more trouble than I already had, especially since I didn’t know what would happen when I got the truth out there. I just… Didn’t want to keep hurting you guys.”

It was a whirl wind of emotions today. She went from panic and anxiety, to an overwhelming sense of joy and comfort, to excitement, and then back to the anxiety. Anymore and she was sure her head would explode.

Hunk barely looked at her, glaring from the corner of his eyes with his bottom lip jutting out. However, after a few seconds of staring at her broken, scared, and sad expression, his resolve wavered.

“… Oh, I can’t stay mad at you!”

He picked her up again, hugging her so hard something in her back definitely popped. Maybe even a couple of somethings.

Pidge laughed, her voice unsteady as she wrapped her arms as far around his big belly as she could. Lance joined in not a moment later, throwing his arms around the both of them.

This was enough to make her sob. Out of everything that had happened, this finally did her in for good. Having her best friends, as well as someone she loved, holding her tightly, all previous problems finally forgiven, and the past finally behind them. She could go on perfectly knowing everything had been resolved. Finally, finally, things could start moving in the right direction.

“Pidge, are you okay?” Hunk asked in concern when he felt her tears drip on his neck, followed by her muffled sobs.

“I-I’m just… Really happy,” She told him, rubbing her eyes gently as he let her down. Lance didn’t take his hand off of her back for a second though. “I love you guys so much.”

“We love you too, Pidge.” Lance assured, but he didn’t miss the all-knowing stare he got from Hunk. The thick, lifted brow, and the curl at the corner of his lips were almost as annoying as Luis and Marco’s horrible banter. “Oh don’t you start.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Hunk defended himself with his hands in the air, his gown dragging down his arms, but Lance gave in quietly, instead deciding it was better to simply hold onto Pidge then argue this through.

“Am I missing a party here?”

The three teens turned to see Rolo walking towards them with a plaid white shirt and jeans on. It was about as decent as someone like Rolo could be compared to the time they had the formal dance.

“Hey, you made it!” Hunk keened.

“Of course I did. I told you I would be here to see you guys graduate.” The older teen said, looking to them. “I heard some cheering. Thought I’d come see the celebration.”

 _“We,”_ Hunk began, clapping Lance on the back. “Are celebrating Lance’s enrollment into the Galaxy Garrison.”

“You made it?” Rolo beamed at him. “That’s great, man! Congratulations!”

“Thanks Rolo, but, if I’m being honest…” Lance tugged Pidge against his side, and she followed the motion by wrapping her arms around him, gleaming a big smile up at him. “I think I’m happier that Pidge is here.”

“Oh, hey! Pidge! It’s-!” Rolo stopped, his fingers pointing at the younger teen. His mouth dropped, light eyebrows drawn tight in confusion. One could just see the internal struggle he was having by the sight of her. “Wait…”

“Yeah, she’s a girl. Surprised me too.” Hunk said, as nonchalant as could be.

“Wait, what?” He yipped, looking from her to Lance, over to Hunk, and then back to her. “You’re a girl?”

“It’s a long story,” Hunk assured him, patting his back. “I’ll tell ya later when we go get some celebratory dinner.”

“Longer than you could imagine,” Pidge mumbled, more as just a sarcastic comment to herself. Not even Lance knew everything that happened behind the scenes with Iverson, especially within the courtroom, or the plea bargain, but that was okay. They’d find out soon enough.

Admittedly, Rolo wasn’t supposed to figure it out, but one more person couldn’t hurt.

Right?

Pidge startled from her thoughts when she was pulled along, just a few steps back and to facing Lance instead of them. She almost asked what he was doing, but the words died on her tongue when she looked up at him.

Those big, blue eyes were staring down at her in what could only be described as the most loving gaze she had ever received in her life. The gentle smile and the soft flush of color were just melting her heart into a gross puddle on the ground, and then his fingers tucked under her chin, and she was pretty sure she died and went to heaven for a second there.

She rose up on her tip toes, wrapping her arms around his shoulders for better purchase. She may have gotten a bit taller, but she was still short. Lance wrapped his arms around her waist, bending down to meet her halfway for their first kiss in two years.

It was a gentle caress of lips. At first startling away, unpracticed with noses bumping, but then a little more forceful. Lance took everything about her in, from the smell of the minty shampoo she used in her hair to the touch of her lips. Her lips had gotten softer, if that was even possible, and he found himself leaning into the touch like he was starved for her touch.

He memorized everything about this moment. He had too, because _god,_ he didn’t know how long he was going to have her hands around his neck, threading through his hair, or her sighing against his lips as their heads tilted further, unpracticed and awkward, but so right. He didn’t know how long he could touch her cheek and brush her overgrown bangs from her face to tuck them behind her ear, or feel her chest press against his. He even wondered he she could feel his rapidly beating heat trying to escape from his chest.

Every moment came with a bout of anxiety, but she kissed it all away, lips parting on a silent breath against his lips like she was trying to take away his worries, and maybe she was. Like her clinging onto him; the way her fingers tangled in the hair on the back of his head, and how maybe the kiss was getting a little too heated for a public environment, but he could tell she was just as desperate as he was.

Lance hadn’t realized how much he missed this until he had her back in his arms. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to hold her and touch her. To kiss her like there was no tomorrow, and he never wanted to forget this again. He never wanted to _lose_ it again, and again he felt the anxiety rise in his chest, but the small hitch in her breath when he pulled her bottom lip between his quelled his worries.

It was perfect. Truly perfect. He wished he had been smart enough to at least ask for her new number in his letter to her two years ago. Maybe then they wouldn’t have lost so much time, but he had every intent of making all of that up in the next coming days. Weeks. Months. _Years._

They didn’t stop, even when Rolo and Hunk started hollering and hooting, and Rolo shot off a loud wolf whistle that nearly startled them both. All Lance did in retaliation was take his hand off her to flip them the bird, not even sure if he was pointing it directly at them. He refused to pull away from this for even a second.

He felt the smile against his lips, followed by the soft chuckled before Pidge reached out to pull his hand to her, settling it against her waist. Only then did they stop, pulling away and looking deep into each other’s eyes.

They were rocking again, and maybe that was a bit embarrassing with Hunk and Rolo standing right there, but he definitely _did not_ care.

“I love you, Lance…” She whispered, her forehead touching his as her fingers caressed his cheeks.

“I love you too…” He replied, tucking her bangs behind her ear. “So uh… You in town for a couple of days?”

“Just two,” She said, pecking him briefly in between her words. “That’s all I could get before everyone had to go back to work.”

“That’s alright. I just hope you know I’m not leaving your side for any of it.” Lance told her, very matter-of-fact with no arguments. She had none.

“Sounds great to me,” She said with a soft giggle, and Lance was done for.

He was so in love. Probably in that gross lovey dovey kind of way he saw in horrible romance films that he used to make fun of, but now he got it. He understood why it was made out to be such a big fuss.

He was pathetically in love with her, and just as Hunk had told him, he wasn’t going to let this go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're done~!  
> Guys, thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments and kudos. Thank you for following this hell of a long story that got to be waaaaay more important to me than I thought it would when I started. I just appreciate you guys so much. <3 I hope all of you have an incredible week, and here's to hoping this starts if off right. ^^  
> A big thanks to Hail for proofing multiple chapters, including this one, because I wasn't always in the best of moods to clean this beast up, and she's always there for me and behind my back one hundred percent. :) Also, big thanks to Dio for helping me with Pidge's hair in the picture. That was also a beast, and she tamed it good. One last thank you to Dio and a collective group of wonderful people for help with the Spanish in this chapter. :) Yeeeees, you thought that was just gonna be on my Planceask blog? Naaaah. THAT was a spoiler. ;)  
> Again, thank you a ton. You guys are the bestest readers a girl could as for. :3

**Author's Note:**

> P.S. So I currently have the rating of this for general audiences. While I don't think this will ever have content that needs the T rating, I might throw in a cuss word here or there. I actually have no idea yet. Again, the details are still being hammered out. So I just want to throw caution to the wind by saying that, but I really don't think anyone needs to have any worries.


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